STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL 

LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA 


f  CALIFORNIA 

\NGJELES 
UBUAHX 


■jum  imj.il ijiiiuj  tuMiinft.  1 

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SAVONAROLA 


b 


A 

First  Year  English 
Book 


By 


Harriet  E.  Crandall 

Instructor  in  English  in  the  South  Chicago  High  School 
2.  7^<^<? 


Atkinson,  Mentzer  &  Grover 

NEW  YORK  CHICAGO  BOSTON  DALLAS 


z.1  A^o 


Copyright,  1908 
By  HARRIET  E.  CRANDALL 


c  ?s 

The  Preface 

THERE  is  in  human  affairs  a  sad  gap  between  purpose 
and  accomplishment;  whereby  1  am  admonished  to 
set  down  before  this  little  book  some  account  of  the 
purpose  with  which  it  was  undertaken. 

It  is  based  on  a  few  simple  ideas  of  art  and  life.  First, 
for  children  of  high  school  age(certainly  the  practice  of  the 
art  of  writing  is  not  an  end  but  a  means.  It  should  lead  not 
primarily  to  literary  skill,  but  to  development  of  general 
power  and  capacity. 

If  this  art  is  being  practiced  to  that  worthy  end,  there 
will  be  clear  evidence  of  it.  Natural  exercise  of  innate 
power  is  pleasurable.  Forced  exercise  of  powers  which 
are  not  ready  for  development  is  disagreeable,  if  not  pain- 
ful. Now  self-expression,  even  expression  by  means  of 
written  words,  is  delightful  to  the  pupil  if  his  genuine 
powers  are  utilized.  Interest  and  pleasure  are  merely  the 
symptoms   of  normal   development  and  healthful   exercise. 

As  to  the  means  by  which  this  end  is  to  be  reached,  sev- 
eral facts  are  to  be  remarked :  first,  the  great  importance  of 
the  pupil's  having  something  to  say ;  in  other  words,  em- 
phasis on  content  rather  than  form ;  a  minimum  of  theory 
and  a  maximum  of  practice.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  ninety- 
nine  people  out  of  a  hundred  who  enjoy  writing  are  trying 
to  say  something ;  they  are  possessed  by  feelings  and  ideas 
which  they  wish  to  communicate.  These  feelings  and 
ideas  are  the  vital  motive  power  which  shapes  to  artistic 
form.  Again,  even  for  that  rare  hundredth  person,  who, 
during  the  first  process  of  writing,  is  intent  mainly  on 
technique,  one  principle  of  art  suffices  for  months,  not  to 
say  years,  of  unremitting  practice.  In  art,  a  very  little 
theory  will  go  far,  and  an  excess  of  it  is  fatally  in  the  way. 

The   harm   of   giving   too   much    rhetoric   and   too    little 

vii 


viii  The  Preface 

writing  to  children  is  obvious.  To  the  right-minded  child 
literature  is  life ;  it  is  not  artifice.  Nor  is  writing  artifice ; 
it  is  a  natural,  verbal  reaction  of  the  individual  to  his  world. 
The  moment  his  attention  is  held  by  form  at  the  expense 
of  substance  his  interest  fades ;  and  without  interest  the 
game  is  not  worth  the  candle ;  and  for  the  following  reason. 
All  good  writing  starts  in  the  impulse  to  express  some- 
thing vital.  This  creative  impulse — essentially  the  same  in 
the  high  school  child  and  in  the  epic  poet — rouses  the  mind, 
sets  words  flowing,  shapes  and  incarnates  the  thought,  ac- 
cording to  the  measure  of  the  mind  in  which  it  stirs.  This 
is  the  process  we  wish  to  secure,  not  merely  in  order  to 
get  fresh,  original  compositions,  but  to  widen  and  deepen 
the  child's  life,  to  give  him  the  high  pleasure  of  creation 
and  the  coordinate  pleasure  of  appreciation.  To  all  this, 
interest  is  an  absolutely  necessary  antecedent.  Therefore, 
in  this  book,  form  is  subordinated  to  matter. 

And  here  appears  the  primary  value  of  literature.  Actu- 
ally many  a  writer  finds  his  material,  gets  his  ideas,  by 
suggestion  or  inspiration  from  other  writers.  It  is  true, 
as  Stevenson  remarks,  that  every  revival  of  letters  has  been 
heralded  by  a  "cast  back  to  earlier  and  fresher  models." 
True  it  is,  also,  that  these  revivals  have  come  not  mainly  by 
intellectual  analysis  and  formal  imitation,  but  rather  by 
generous  admiration  and  enkindling  of  the  imagination. 
And  thus  literature  may  serve  the  child  by  suggestion  and 
stimulation. 

This  book  attempts  to  set  the  child  writing ;  to  suggest 
something  which  he  can  work  up,  which  will  please  him, 
when  written,  and  seem  to  him  worth  while. 

It  should  be  added  that  it  attempts  also  to  set  him  going 
in  the  right  direction ;  it  does  not  abandon  the  field  of 
technique,  but  attempts  to  guide  his  expression  toward  lit- 
erary effectiveness.  A  vital  interest  once  aroused,  tech- 
nique can  do  its  perfect  work. 

Similar  practical  considerations  have  determined  also  the 
order  of  presentation.  A  text-book  in  composition  is  neces- 
sarily unsatisfactory  because  it  is  fixed ;  it  must  follow  one 
way ,  while  every  class  has  its  own  development  of  interest, 
presents  its  own  peculiar  order  in  development  of  faults  and 


The  Preface  ix 

virtues.  No  one  booi<  can  fit  every  case.  Ideally,  every 
class,  not  to  say  every  individual,  should  have  its  own 
book  made  over  night  according-  to  the  demands  of  the 
day.  And  at  no  period  in  the  history  of  the  English  stu- 
dent are  these  difficulties  so  great  as  in  the  last  year  of 
grammar  school,  and  early  years  of  high  school.  Interests 
spring  up  and  die  out  with  mushroom  swiftness ;  new  traits 
appear  in  character,  and  die  out  or  go  on  to  permanence ; 
variety  in  interest  and  in  character  development  is  the  only 
permanence  the  teacher  can  safely  count  on.  This  difficulty 
is  not  avoidable.  But  it  is  possible  to  abandon  an  order 
based  on  logical  analysis  of  the  science  of  rhetoric  for  an 
order  based  on  the  exigencies  of  practice  in  the  art.  Such 
order  sacrifices  the  symmetry  of  the  table  of  contents  to 
the  immaturities  and  growing  powers  of  the  child.  This  is 
but  following  the  example  set  in  modern  language  text- 
books, where  a  logical  development  of  the  subject  has  given 
place  to  a  presentation  based  on  actual  habits  of  speech. 

To  give  the  pupil  pleasure  in  the  exercise  of  his  powers 
and  in  the  works  of  literature  is  no  mean  object  in  these 
days  when  one  of  the  perils  of  democracy  is  the  absence 
of  high  pleasures  and  the  increase  of  the  crass  and  the  vul- 
gar. Beyond  this  even,  lies  the  broadly  human  significance 
of  the  study. 

Educators  have  often  dwelt  on  the  critical  period  in  the 
development  of  a  child — "the  golden  age  of  life ;"  the  time 
when  new  ideals  are  forming,  new  aptitudes  are  stirring, 
new  faculties  are  germinating.  At  this  time,  the  sympa- 
thies can  be  touched  to  finer  response,  the  whole  nature 
enriched  and  directed  to  higher  issues.  At  this  time,  then, 
no  study  should  be  regarded  wholly  as  a  source  of  informa- 
tion or  of  mental  discipline,  nor  as  a  means  to  a  technical 
end  ;  least  of  all  the  art  of  writing.  No  study  offers  more 
opportunities  than  does  composition,  for  directing  and  stimu- 
lating to  sincere  and  complete  living.  The  teacher  who 
has  access  to  the  pupil's  note-book  has  open  sesame 
to  the  sacred  mystery  of  the  growing  soul ;  and  on  him 
devolves  the  responsibility  of  enlarging  the  interests,  di- 
recting the  sympathies,  and  clarifying  the  thinking. 

The  author  wishes  to  express  her  hearty  thanks  to  many 


x  The  Preface 

friends:  notably  to  the  teachers  of  the  Tulcy  High  School, 
for  Appendix  B  on  Punctuation;  to  Mrs.  Maude  Radford 
Warren,  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  for  unfailingly  help- 
ful suggestion ;  and  to  George  B.  Aiton,  Inspector  of  High 
Schools  for  the  State  of  Minnesota ;  H.  E.  Giles,  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools,  Hinsdale,  Illinois;  E.  H.  Kemper 
McComb,  Head  of  the  English  Department,  Manual  Train- 
ing High  School,  Indianapolis;  B.  A.  Heydrick,  Girls'  High 
School,  New  York  City ;  Miss  Ellen  Fox,  Instructor  in  Eng- 
lish, Central  High  School,  Kansas  City;  Bruce  Smith, 
Instructor  in  English,  St.  Louis  High  School;  Dr.  R.  H. 
Griffith,  University  of  Texas;  Robert  R.  Reed,  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools,  Stephen,  Minnesota;  Miss  Chestine 
Gowdy,  State  Normal  School,  Normal,  Illinois,  for  acute 
criticism  and  generous  assistance. 

Harriet  E.  Crandall. 
South  Chicago  High  School. 
July  i.  1908. 


The  '1  able  of  Contents 

The  Preface vii 

The  Table  of  Contents xi 

To    the    Teacher xiv 

A  List  of  the  Plates xiv 


PART  I.  TELLING  OTHER  PEOPLE'S  EXPERI- 


SEC. 
I. 


3- 

4- 

5- 

6. 

7- 
8. 

9- 

10. 

ii. 


ExNCES 

The  Main  Points  in  the  Story 

Robin  Hood  and   the   King 
Proportion  

Sir  Patrick  Spens 
Reality  by  Means  of  Details 

Incidents  in  the  Lives  of  Great  A  Ten 
The   Comma   Fault     . 
Reality  by  Means  of  Details 

The  Awakening  of  Great  Men 
Proportion  and  Detail     . 

Our  Friends  the  Animals 

Sentence  Unity 

A  Review  of  the  Sentence     . 

Adventures   with    Books 
Subordination  in  the  Sentence 
Proportion  and  Detail     . 

The  Matter  of  Fairy  Stories 
Coordination.     "And  Which"    . 


PAGE 

16 

20 
20 

24 
24 

28 
30 
30 
32 

32 

35 
37 
37 
39 
43 
43 

49 


xii  Contents 

12.  Proportion  and  Clearness 49 

The   Story  of  a  Scientist 49 

13.  Clearness  in   the  Sentence 51 

14.  Proportion  and  Detail 54 

The  White  Ship 54 

15.  The  Paragraph  in  Dialogue 60 

PART    II.     TELLING   YOUR  OWN    EXPERIENCES 

1.  Finding  an  Interesting  Subject     ....  65 

2.  Making  the  Subject  Definite       ....  67 

3.  The  Notes 69 

4.  Unity 72 

5.  The  Topic  and  the  Paragraph        ....  81 

6.  The  Plan 89 

7.  The   Topic    Sentence 101 

8.  Paragraph  Development 106 

PART  III.     SEEING  WITH  THE  MIND'S  EYE 

1.  Describing  From  Memory.     Dreams     .      .      .  113 

2.  Describing  From  Memory.     Persons  and 

Places 115 

3.  Forecasting  Current  Events 116 

4.  Repetition   of  Words 118 

c.     Describing   From    Imagination       ....  119 

6.  Castles   in    Spain 123 

7.  Shifts  in   Sentence   Structure     ....  127 

PART  IV.     WORDS 

1.     How  to  Enrich  One's  Vocabulary     .     .     .  135 
PART  V.     LETTER  WRITING 

1.  Letters  to  Friends 142 

2.  Formal  Invitations 147 

3.  Business  Letters 150 


Contents  xiii 

PART  VI.     NARRATION  AND  DESCRIPTION 

i.     The  Elements  of  the  Story 155 

2.  The  Relation  of  the  Incidents      .      .      .      .  157 

3.  General  and  Definite  Narration       .      .      .  161 

4.  Description.    Selection  of  Details      .      .      .  164 

5.  Description.    Arrangement  of  Details     .      .  166 

6.  Character  169 

7.  Mood         171 

8.  Setting  173 

9.  Preparation 180 

10.     Conversation  183 

n.     Story  Writing         185 

12.     Figures   or    Speech 192 

Appendix  A.     A  Briee  Review  of  English  Gram- 
mar    198 

Appendix  B.     Punctuation.     Riles  and  Exer- 
cises        

Appendix  C     Writing    Advertisements 
Appendix  D.     Writing  for  Newspapers 
Appendix  E.     Supplementary  List  of  Subjects 
Appendix  F.     Suggestions  to  Teachers 


The  Index 


211 
224 
227 
230 
233 
-'39 


To  the  Teacher 

Two  directions  should  be  given  in  regard  to  the  use  of 
this  book. 

First,  many  teachers  will  wish  to  begin  with  a  review  of 
grammar.  Such  a  review  is  provided  in  Appendix  A, 
which  may  be  used  as  an  introduction  immediately  preced- 
ing Part  I. 

Second,  it  may  be  desired  to  study  narration  and  de- 
scription as  two  distinct  subjects.  For  this  purpose  one 
may  take  Part  VI.  in  the  following  order :  for  narration, 
Sections  I,  2,  3,  9,  10;  for  description,  Sections  4,  5,  6,  7, 
8,  11. 


A  List  of  the  Plates 

Savonarola    Frontispiece 

The  Drawing  Class Facing  page  15 

The  Last  Prayer 40 

Ruins  of  the  Colosseum 60 

The  Road  to  Camelot 80 

Rescued    100 

The  Pied  Piper  of  Hamelin 120 

Columbus  at  the  Court  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella 140 

The  Royal  Courier 160 

The  Pilgrims  Going  to  Church 180 

The  Fair  Pleader 200 

Stratford-on-Avon    . 220 


to 
to 


^ 


A  First  Year  English  Book 
PART  I 

TELLING  OTHER  PEOPLE'S  EXPERIENCES. 
SECTION  I.    THE  MAIN  POINTS  IN  THE  STORY 

The  first  problem  in  the  process  of  learning  to  write  is 
that  of  finding  something  to  say,  of  getting  material.  Now 
there  are  three  sources  of  material.  First,  you  may  repro- 
duce other  people's  ideas  and  experiences ;  you  may  write 
what  you  have  read,  or  what  has  been  told  you.  Or,  sec- 
ondly, you  may  deal  with  your  own  ideals  and  actions ;  you 
may  write  of  what  you  do,  and  see,  and  feel.  Or,  finally,  you 
may  write  what  you  see  with  the  mind's  eye,  what  you 
imagine. 

Of  these  ways  of  finding  material,  the  first  is  perhaps 
the  easiest.  No  doubt  you  have  read  about  many  more 
interesting  happenings  than  have  come  within  your  own 
observation.  The  newspapers  furnish  you  daily  with  stories 
of  striking  events.  Your  lessons  in  school  take  you  into 
a  wider  world  than  the  one  you  live  in.  For  instance,  if 
you  are  studying  Julius  Caesar  you  can  write  a  summary 
of  the  first  act ;  or  you  can  tell  what  you  have  learned  of  the 
formation  of  river  basins,  or  of  the  capture  of  Major 
Andre,  or  of  the  explorations  of  Father  Marquette. 

One  caution  with  regard  to  reproducing:  when  you  re- 
produce a  subject  from  your  reading,  think  about  it 
with  such  care  that  you  will  not  slavishly  repeat  the  words  of 
the  book.  Try  to  tell  it  in  your  own  words  and  m  your 
own  way. 

15 


16  A  First  Year  English  Book 

^  Exercises 

/.  Oral.  Tell  the  best  story  of  adventure  you  know, 
either  fact  or  fiction ;  or  a  funny  story  you  have  heard,  or  a 
good  fairy  story.  Consider  what  is  the  main  point  in  the 
story  and  try  to  bring  that  out.  Have  it  all  clearly  in  mind 
before  trying  to  tell  it  to  the  class,  so  that  you  will  not  hesi- 
tate, or  allow  the  interest  to  drag;  for  interest  is  the  first 
aim  in  composition. 

2.  Write  in  your  own  words  one  of  the  following 
stories.  Give  it  a  title.  When  you  have  finished  writing, 
see  that  every  sentence  begins  with  a  capital  letter  and  ends 
with  a  period,  a  question  mark,  or  an  exclamation  point. 

A  FABLE 

Once  when  Hercules  was  journeying  along  a  narrow 
roadway,  he  came  across  a  strange-looking  animal  that 
reared  its  head  and  threatened  him.  Hercules,  not  at  all 
frightened,  gave  him  a  few  lusty  blows  with  his  club,  and 
started  to  move  on.  To  his  surprise  the  animal  was  now 
three  times  as  large  as  before,  and  of  a  still  more  threaten- 
ing aspect.  He  therefore  redoubled  his  blows,  and  laid 
about  him  fast  and  furiously ;  but  the  harder  and  quicker 
the  strokes  of  the  club,  the  bigger  and  more  frightful  grew 
the  monster,  who  now  completely  filled  up  the  road.  Pallas 
then  appeared  upon  the  scene. 

"Stop,  Hercules,"  said  she.  "Cease  your  blows.  The 
monster's  name  is  Strife.  Let  it  alone,  and  it  will  soon  be- 
come as  little  as  it  was  at  first." 

JEsop's  Fables 

ROBIN  HOOD  AND  THE  KING 

King  Richard  of  England  heard  many  complaints  from 
Nottinghamshire  against  Robin  Hood  and  his  merry  knights 
of  the  greenwood  tree.  These  complaints  never  came 
from  the  poor,  with  whom  Robin  shared  all  he  had,  but 
from  the  rich,  who  alleged  that  Robin  and  his  followers 


The  Main  Points  in  the  Story  17 

slew  all  the  deer  in  the  great  forests,  and  not  content  with 
that,  robbed  all  the  rich  men  who  passed  through  that  part 
of  the  wood  in  which  they  dwtlt. 

Richard  by  no  means  always  listened  to  the  woes  of  his 
subjects.  Now  he  took  the  robberies  lightly  enough,  but  he 
was  angry  to  hear  that  his  deer  were  being  shot. 

"By  my  faith,"  he  said,  "I  will  go  down  to  Nottingham 
and  meet  face  to  face  this  man  who  would  defy  me." 

He  lost  no  time  in  riding  to  Nottinghamshire  with  a  great 
array  of  knights.  As  they  passed  through  the  forests  the 
deer  became  more  and  more  scarce,  until  at  last  they  could 
not  see  even  one.  And  though  they  looked  for  Robin 
Hood  even  more  industriously  than  they  did  for  the  deer,  he 
was  not  to  be  found.  After  a  search  of  two  weeks,  Rich- 
ard's impatience  knew  no  bounds.  At  last  a  forester  of- 
fered a  plan. 

"You  can  find  Robin  Hood,  sire,"  he  said,  "only  if  you 
go  in  disguise.  If  you  should  dress  like  an  abbot,  and  car- 
ry a  money-bag,  and  then  ride  with  five  knights,  also  dis- 
guised, through  the  wood,  vou  would  meet  the  great  out- 
law." 

"A  good  plan,  faith,"  said  Richard.  Over  his  royal  doub- 
let he  put  a  long  abbot's  robe,  and  on  his  head  a  broad  hat ; 
then,  followed  by  five  men  all  soberly  clad  in  gray  robes,  he 
set  off  for  the  green  wood  of  Nottingham.  He  had  scarcely 
gone  a  mile  before,  at  a  turn  in  the  path,  he  saw  a  company 
of  men  clad  in  green  coats  and  bearing  huge  bows  in  their 
hands.  At  their  head  stood  a  tall,  fair,  handsome  man  with 
laughing  eyes.  He  strode  to  the  king's  horse,  and  took  it 
by  the  bridle. 

"Sir  Abbot,"  he  said,  "by  your  leave,  you  must  abide  for 
a  time  with  us.  We  are  poor  men,  sir,  living  on  nothing 
but  the  king's  deer  in  the  forest,  and  as  you  have  plenty  of 
money,  we  must  ask  you  to  give  us  some  for  charity's  sake." 

"By  my  life !"  cried  the  king,  "there  are  many  of  you  and 
I  have  but  forty  pounds.  I  have  spent  the  last  two  weeks 
with  the  king  in  Nottingham,  where  I  have  given  much 
money  to  many  a  good  lord.  Nevertheless,  if  I  had  a  hun- 
dred pounds,  I  would  give  it  to  you  freely." 

"That  is  spoken  generously,"  said  Robin. 

He  held  out  his  hand  for  the  king's  money-bag.    Then  he 


i8  A  First  Year  English  Book 

poured  the  shining  coins  on  the  green  grass,  dividing  them 
into  two  parts. 

"Here,  my  good  men,"  he  said,  handing  one  share  to  a 
slender  young  man  called  Gilbert  of  the  White  Hand ;  "take 
this,  and  be  merry  with  it." 

Then  he  turned  back  to  the  king. 

"Sir  Abbot,"  he  said,  with  a  low  bow,  "I  give  you  back 
half  your  gold,  and  I  trust  we  shall  meet  again." 

"Grammercy,"  said  Richard;  "and  as  I  am  greatly  in  the 
king's  favor,  I  bid  you  in  his  name  to  come  to  dine  with  him 
at  Nottingham."  As  he  spoke,  he  showed  the  king's  great 
seal. 

Robin  Hood  bowed  again,  lower  than  before. 

"I  love  no  man  in  the  world  so  much  as  I  do  Richard  of 
England,"  he  said.  "I  welcome  the  sight  of  my  lord's  seal ; 
and,  Sir  Abbot,  in  sign  of  the  honor  offered  me,  I  beg  you, 
for  love  of  the  king,  to  dine  with  me  to-day  under  my 
trysting-tree." 

"Gladly  will  I,"  replied  Richard. 

A  plentiful  dinner,  chiefly  composed  of  the  king's  own 
venison,  was  soon  set  before  Richard,  and  as  he  saw  how 
promptly  Robin's  men  obeyed  him,  he  wished  that  his  own 
subjects  were  as  ready  to  do  his  bidding.  After  the  meal, 
Robin  proposed  that  his  men  should  show  their  skill  in 
archery.  So  they  set  up  a  willow  wand  with  a  rose-garland 
twined  about  it,  at  which  they  were  to  shoot  frcm  a  very 
considerable  distance. 

The  king  shook  his  head. 

"You  are  too  far  from  your  mark  by  fifty  paces,"  he 
said. 

"Not  so,  Sir  Abbot,"  replied  Robin.  "Most  of  these  men 
will  hit  the  wand;  any  who  fails  to  hit  it  or  the  rose-gar- 
land shall  yield  up  his  bow  and  arrows,  and  shall  receive  a 
blow  on  his  bare  head." 

Then  Robin  shot  first,  splitting  the  wand.  Gilbert  of  the 
White  Hand  and  others  followed,  all  coming  within  the  rose- 
garland.  Richard  expressed  great  amazement ;  then  he 
asked  to  see  Robin  shoot  again.  This  time  the  great  out- 
law was  careless  in  his  sighting,  and  he  missed  the  mark. 

"Ha,  Master,"  laughed  Gilbert  of  the  White  Hand ;  "now 
must  you  receive  a  buffet  on  the  head." 


The  Main  Points  in  the  Story  19 

"If  so,"  said  Robin,  "Sir  Abbot  here  must  bestow  it." 

'Right  gladly,"  said  Richard,  with  a  grim  smile,  for  he 
was  a  strong  man.  He  turned  up  the  sleeves  of  the  abbot's 
gown  and  gave  Robin  Hood  such  a  blow  that  he  fell  full 
length  on  the  ground. 

The  outlaws  started  forward  angrily,  but  Robin  ordered 
them  back.  He  rose  slowly  to  his  feet,  and  then  he  knelt 
on  one  knee  and  bowed  low  to  the  king. 

"Sire,"  he  said,  "when  you  rolled  back  your  sleeves  I 
saw  the  insignia  of  royalty.    I  crave  your  mercy." 

"Rise,  Robin,"  said  the  king;  "your  boon  is  granted,  and  I 
in  turn  ask  your  grace  for  me  and  for  my  men.  Moreover, 
I  command  you  to  come  to  my  court  and  dwell  in  plenty 
with  me." 

Robin  stood  upright,  with  a  gay,  audacious  smile. 

"I  will  come  on  a  visit,  sire,"  he  said,  "with  seven  score 
of  my  men ;  but  then  I  must  return  home  and  shoot  the 
king's  good  deer,  as  is  my  habit." 

King  Arthur  ami  His  Knights,  Maude  L.  Eadford. 

j.     Write  the  story  according  to  the  following  plan  : 

(a)  Why  King  Richard  goes  to  Nottinghamshire. 

(b)  The  King  disguises  himself  in  order  to  find  Robin. 

(c)  The  King  meets  Robin. 

(d)  They  dine  together. 

(e)  The  contest  at  archery  and  what  comes  of  it. 

Which    incident    should    you    tell    most    about?  Which 

should  you  tell  least  about?     Why?     If  you  can,  describe 

the  forest  somewhat,  and  the  dress  of  the  king  and  the 
knights. 

Rule.  In  conversation,  the  speech  of  each  person,  to- 
gether with  sueh  descriptive  and  explanatory  words  as 
accompany  the  speech,  is  written  as  a  paragraph. 

Rule.  In  writing  conversation,  enclose  the  words  of  tin- 
speaker  in  quotation  marks. 

Caution.     Examine  your  theme  to  see  that  each  speech 


20  A  First  Year  English  Book 

forms  a  paragraph ;  that  each  speech  is  enclosed  in  quotation 
marks. 

./.  Look  at  the  picture  opposite  page  40.  It  represents 
a  scene  in  the  Colosseum  during  the  persecution  of  the 
Christians.  Opposite  page  60  is  a  picture  of  the  Colosseum 
as  it  looks  to-day.  Write  a  theme  describing  one  of  these 
pictures. 

5.  Oral.  Look  up  the  facts  in  a  history  of  Rome,  and 
give  a  short  account  of  the  gladiatorial  shows. 

SECTION  II.     PROPORTION 

The  following  poem  is  a  ballad,  a  kind  of  folk-poem. 
It  is  characteristic  of  ballads  to  tell  only  the  essentials  of 
the  story,  and  leave  you  to  imagine  the  rest.  If  you  com- 
pare this  ballad  with  the  story  of  Robin  Hood,  you  will 
see  that  the  latter  is  told  much  more  fully;  the  incidents 
are  connected  by  explanatory  sentences,  and  the  various 
happenings  are  more  or  less  expanded  with  details. 

SIR  PATRICK  SPENS 

The  King  sits  in  Dunfermline  toun, 

Drinking  the  blude-red  wine ; 
"O  whaur  shall  I  get  a  skeely  skipper 

To  sail  this  gude  ship  of  mine?" 

Then  up  an'  spake  an  eldern  knight, 

Sat  at  the  King's  right  knee ; 
"Sir  Patrick  Spens  is  the  best  sailor 

That  ever  sailed  the  sea." 

The  King  has  written  a  braid  letter, 

And  seal'd  it  wi'  his  hand, 
And  sent  it  to  Sir  Patrick  Spens 

Was  walking  on  the  sand. 


Proportion  21 

"To  Noroway,  to  Noroway, 

To  Noroway  o'er  the  faem ; 
The  King's  daughter  to  Noroway, 

It's  thou  maun  tak'  her  hame." 

The  first  line  that  Sir  Patrick  read, 

A  loud  laugh  laughed  he, 
The  neist  line  that  Sir  Patrick  read, 

The  tear  blinded  his  e'e. 

"O  wha  is  this  hae  dune  this  deed, 

And  tauld  the  King  o'  me, 
To  send  us  out  at  this  time  o'  the  year 

To  sail  upon  the  sea  ? 

"Be  it  wind  or  weet,  be  it  hail  or  sleet, 

Our  ship  maun  sail  the  faem, 
The  King's  daughter  to  Noroway, 

'Tis  we  maun  tak'  her  hame." 

They  hoisted  their  sails  on  Monday  morn, 

Wi'  a'  the  speed  they  may ; 
And  they  hae  landed  in  Noroway 

Upon  the  Wodensday. 

They  hadna  been  a  week,  a  week, 

In  Noroway  but  twae, 
When  that  the  lords  o'  Noroway 

Began  aloud  to  say — 

"Ye  Scotsmen  spend  a'  our  King's  gowd, 

And  a'  our  Queenis  fee." 
"Ye  lie,  ye  lie,  ye  liars  loud, 

Sae  loud's  I  hear  ye  lie  ! 

"For  I  brouct  as  mickle  white  monie, 

As  gane  my  men  and  me, 
And  a  half-fou  o'  the  gude  red  gold, 

Out  owre  the  sea  wi'  me. 

"Mak'  ready,  mak'  ready,  my  merry  men  a", 
Our  gude  ship  sails  the  morn." 


22  A  First  Year  English  Book 

"Now  ever  alack,  my  master  clear, 
I  fear  a  deadly  storm. 

"I  saw  the  moon  late  yestreen, 

Wi'  the  auld  moon  in  her  arm ; 
And  I  fear,  I  fear,  my  master  dear, 

That  we  sail  come  to  harm !" 

They  hadna  sail'd  a  league,  a  league, 

A  league  but  barely  three, 
When  the  lift  grew  dark,  and  the  wind  blew  loud 

And  gurly  grew  the  sea. 

The  ropes  they  brak,  and  the  top-masts  lap, 

It  was  sic  a  deadly  storm  ; 
And  the  waves  cam'  o'er  the  broken  ship, 

Till  a'  her  sides  were  torn. 

"O  whaur  will  I  get  a  gude  sailor 

Will  tak'  the  helm  in  hand, 
Until  I  win  to  the  tall  top-mast, 

And  see  if  I  spy  the  land?" 

"It's  here  am  I,  a  sailor  gude, 

Will  tak'  the  helm  in  hand. 
Till  ye  win  to  the  tall  top-mast, 

But  I  fear  ye'll  ne'er  spy  land." 

He  hadna  gane  a  step,  a  step, 

A  step  but  barely  ane, 
When  a  bolt  flew  out  of  the  gude  ship's  side, 

And  the  saut  sea  it  cam'  in. 

"Gae,  fetch  a  web  of  the  silken  claith, 

Anither  o'  the  twine. 
And  wap  them  into  the  gude  ship's  side, 

And  let  na  the  sea  come  in." 

They  fetched  a  web  o'  the  silken  claith, 

Anither  o'  the  twine, 
And  they  wapp'd  them  into  that  gude  ship's  side. 

But  ave  the  sea  cam'  in. 


Proportion  23 

O  laith,  laith,  were  our  gude  Scots  lords 

To  weet  their  cock-heeled  shoon, 
But  lang  ere  a'  the  play  was  o'er 

They  wat  their  hats  abune. 

O  laith,  laith,  were  our  gude  Scots  lords 

To  weet  their  milk-white  hands, 
But  lang  ere  a'  the  play  was  played 

They  wat  their  gouden  bands. 

O  lang,  lang  may  the  ladies  sit, 

Wi'  their  fans  into  their  hand, 
Or  ever  they  see  Sir  Patrick  Spens 

Come  sailing  to  the  land. 

O  lang,  lang  may  the  maidens  sit, 

Wi'  their  gowd  kaims  in  their  hair, 
A'  waiting  for  their  ain  dear  loves, 

For  them  they'll  see  nae  mair. 

Half  owre,  half  owre  to  Aberdoury 

It's  fifty  fathom  deep, 
And  there  lies  gude  Sir  Patrick  Spens, 

Wi'  the  Scots  lords  at  his  feet. 

Exercises 

1.  How  many-  incidents  or  separate  scenes  are  there  in 
this  story?    What  happens  between  these  incidents? 

2.  Oral.  Describe  Sir  Patrick  Spens.  What  kind  of 
ship  did  he  sail  in  ?  What  do  you  learn  from  the  poem 
about  the  manners  at  court  in  those  days  ?  about  the  duty  of 
obedience?  Can  you  tell  other  instances  in  which  obedience 
to  a  superior  officer  has  led  to  death  ? 

j.  Write  this  story  in  your  own  words.  Try  to  make 
your  reader  see  just  what  happens,  and  realize  how  the 
characters  feel. 

4.  Examine  the  two  themes  you  have  written  to  see 
that  every  sentence  begins  with  a  capital  letter  and  ends 


24  A  First  Year  English  Book 

with  a  period,  a  question  mark,  or  an  exclamation  point. 
See  that  you  do  not  write  as  sentences  mere  phrases  or 
dependent  clauses.  Do  not  make  such  mistakes  as  the 
following : 

"I  have  used  the  plural  'we.'  By  that  pronoun  meaning 
my  friend  and  myself." 

"We  dined  and  paid  our  score.  Which,  in  that  restau- 
rant, grozvs  to  a  surprising  sice." 


SECTION  III.     REALITY  BY  MEANS  OF  DETAILS 
Incidents  in  the  Lives  of  Great  Men 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th  of  March,  1848,  it  was 
reported  that  the  king  of  Prussia  had  granted  his  people 
a  constitution  guaranteeing,  among  other  benefits,  the  free- 
dom of  the  press.  Later  in  the  day  the  opinion  prevailed 
among  the  people  that  these  concessions  were  intended  to 
deceive  them. 

Read  the  following  account,  trying  to  see  the  pictures 
and  incidents  just  as  little  George  Ebers  saw  them. 

And  then  there  was  Frau  Lieutenant  Beyer,  our  neigh- 
bor in  the  house,  whose  husband  was  on  the  general  staff, 
asking,  '"How  is  it  possible  ?  Everything  was  granted ! 
What  can  have  happened?" 

The  answer  was  a  rattle  of  musketry.  We  leaned  out 
of  the  window,  from  which  we  could  see  as  far  as  Potsdam- 
strasse.  What  a  rush  there  was  towards  the  gate !  Three 
or  four  men  dashed  down  the  middle  of  the  quiet  street. 
The  tall,  bearded  fellow  at  the  head  we  knew  well.  It  was 
the  upholsterer,  Sprecht,  who  had  often  put  up  curtains  and 
done  similar  work  for  us,  a  good  and  capable  workman. 

But  what  a  change!  Instead  of  a  neat  little  hammer, 
he  was  flourishing  an  ax,  and  he  and  his  companions  looked 
as  furious  as  if  they  were  going  to  revenge  some  terrible 
injury. 


Reality  by  Means  of  Details  25 

He  caught  sight  of  us,  and  I  remember  distinctly  the 
whites  of  his  rolling  eyes  as  he  raised  his  ax  higher,  and 
shouted  hoarsely,  and  as  if  the  threat  was  meant  for  us : 

"They  shall  get  it !" 

.  .  .  Meanwhile  the  fighting  in  the  streets  seemed  to 
have  increased  in  certain  places  to  a  battle,  for  the  crash  of 
the  artillery  grapeshot  was  constantly  intermingled  with  the 
crackling  of  the  infantry  fire,  and  through  it  all  the  bells 
were  sounding  the  tocsin,  a  wailing,  warning  sound,  which 
stirred  the  inmost  heart. 

It  was  a  fearful  din,  rattling  and  thundering  and  ring- 
ing, while  the  sky  emulated  the  blood-soaked  earth  and 
glowed  in  fiery  red.  It  was  said  that  the  royal  iron  foundry 
was  in  flames. 

At  last  the  hour  of  bedtime  came,  and  I  still  remember 
how  our  mother  told  us  to  pray  for  the  king  and  those  poor 
people  who,  in  order  to  attain  something  we  could  not  under- 
stand, were  in  such  great  peril. 

The  Story  of  My  Life,  George  Ecers. 

Exercises 

1.  Note  the  effect  of  excitement  and  fear;  the  contrast 
between  the  quiet  street  and  the  noise  of  battle ;  the  con- 
trast between  Sprecht,  whom  the  boy  thought  of  as  a  capa- 
ble workman,  and  Sprecht  ready  to  fight  for  what  he  con- 
sidered his  rights. 

2.  Write  in  your  own  words  Ebers's  story ;  if  you  can, 
add  to  the  description.  How  did  the  street  look?  How 
were  the  people  dressed?  What  did  the  people  wish  to 
get?  Why  were  they  fighting?  Why  did  Frau  Beyer 
say,  "Everything  was  granted"  ?  How  old  were  the  children 
who  were  watching  from  the  window?  What  did  they  say 
to  their  mother  when  Sprecht  went  by?  What  did  they 
say  when  the  tocsin  sounded? 

j.  Oral.  Who  are  the  most  interesting  people  you  have 
read  about  or  have  met  ?  Tell  the  story  of  the  life  of  one  of 
them  so  as  to  interest  the  class  in  that  person. 


26  A  First  Year  English  Book 

4.  Write  in  the  third  person  one  of  the  following  stories. 
Note  that  instead  of  the  pronoun  "I"  you  will  use  the  proper 
noun  "Daudet,"  for  instance,  or  the  pronoun  "he."  Be  sure 
that  it  is  always  clear  to  whom  the  pronoun  refers. 


THE  ARRIVAL 

What  a  journey  it  was !  At  the  mere  recollection  of  it 
after  thirty  years,  I  can  again  feel  the  sensation  of  cramp, 
and  again  my  legs  seem  to  be  imprisoned  in  fetters  of  ice. 
For  two  days  I  was  cooped  up  in  a  third-class  carriage,  in 
light  summer  clothing,  in  bitterly  cold  weather. 

I  was  just  sixteen ;  I  came  from  far  away,  from  the 
farthest  corner  of  Languedoc.  where  I  had  been  usher  in  a 
school.  I  was  coming  to  Paris  in  order  to  devote  myself  to 
literary  work.  When  I  had  paid  my  railway  fare,  I  was 
left  the  exact  sum  of  forty  sous  in  my  pocket ! 

But  why  should  I  be  worried  or  anxious?  Was  I  not 
rich  in  anticipation  ?  I  even  forgot  to  be  hungry,  notwith- 
standing the  tempting  array  of  tarts  and  sandwiches  which 
decked  the  buffet  at  the  railway  stations ;  I  was  determined 
not  to  change  that  precious  coin  carefully  hidden  away  in 
the  innermost  recess  of  my  pocket.  However,  towards  the 
end  of  our  journey,  when  the  train,  groaning  and  tossing 
us  from  side  to  side,  was  bearing  us  across  the  dreary  plains 
of  the  flat  Champagne  country,  I  very  nearly  fainted.  My 
traveling  companions,  sailors,  who  had  been  whiling  away 
the  time  with  singing,  offered  me  a  restorative.  What  fine 
fellows!  How  harmonious  seemed  their  rough  ditties!  and 
how  good  their  hospitality  to  one  who  had  not  tasted  food 
for  eight  and  forty  hours ! 

At  last,  a  sound  of  wheels  clanking  on  the  turn-tables, 
a  gigantic  dome  overhead  blazing  with  light,  doors  banging, 
luggage  vans  clatterine  on  the  pavement,  a  restless,  busy 
crowd,  custom-house  officers — in  fact,  Paris. 

Thirty  Years  of  Paris,  Alphonse  Daudet. 

5.  Note  the  resolution  of  the  boy  in  the  face  of  hunger. 
What  kind  of  railway  carriages  do  they  have  in  France? 


Reality  by  Means  of  Details  27 

What  is  the  Champagne  country  like?     How  were  the  sail- 
ors dressed? 

6.  Oral.  Give  as  interesting  an  account  as  you  can  of 
your  first  journey.  Try  to  tell  your  story  in  as  good  pro- 
portion as  did  the  writers  of  the  preceding  selections.  They 
put  more  time  on  the  important  incidents  than  they  did  on 
the  unimportant. 

7.  Suppose  that  at  the  age  of  fifteen  it  becomes  neces- 
sary for  you  to  make  your  own  way  in  the  world.  You 
arrive  in  New  York  City  with  fifteen  dollars  in  your  pocket. 
Write  a  theme  telling  what  happens  to  you. 

A  LETTER  FROM  ROBERT  E.  LEE  TO  HIS  SONS. 

(Extract.) 

Ship  Massachusetts,  off  Lobos,  February  27,  1847. 
A I y  dear  boys : 

I  received  your  letters  with  the  greatest  pleasure,  and,  as 
I  always  like  to  talk  to  you  both  together,  I  will  not  sep- 
arate you  in  my  letters,  but  write  one  to  you  both. 

You  will  learn,  by  my  letter  to  your  grandmother,  that 
T  have  been  to  Tampico.  I  saw  many  things  to  remind  me 
of  you,  though  that  was  not  necessary  to  make  me  wish 
that  you  were  with  me.  The  river  was  so  calm  and  beau- 
tiful, and  the  boys  were  playing  about  in  boats,  and  swim- 
ming their  ponies.  Then  there  were  troops  of  donkeys 
carrying  water  through  the  streets.  They  had  a  kind  of 
saddle,  something  like  a  cart  saddle,  though  larger,  that 
carried  two  ten-gallon  kegs  on  each  side,  which  was  a 
load  for  a  donkey.  They  had  no  bridles  on,  but  would 
come  along  in  strings  to  the  river,  and  as  soon  as  their 
kegs  were  filled,  start  off  again.  I  saw  a  great  many  ponies, 
too.  They  were  larger  than  those  in  the  upper  country, 
but  did  not  seem  so  enduring.  I  got  one  to  ride  around 
the  fortifications.  He  had  a  Mexican  bit  and  saddle  on, 
and  paced  delightfully,  but  every  time  my  sword  struck 
him  on  the  flanks,  would  jump  and  try  to  run  off.  We 
had  a  grand  parade  on  General  Scott's  arrival.     The  troops 


28  A  First  Year  English  Book 

were  all  drawn  up  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  fired  a 
salute  as  he  passed  them.  He  landed  at  the  market,  where 
lines  of  sentinels  were  placed  to  keep  off  the  crowd.  In 
front  of  the  landing  the  artillery  was  drawn  up,  which 
received  him  in  the  center  of  the  column  and  escorted  him 
through  the  streets  to  his  lodgings.  They  had  provided  a 
handsome  gray  horse,  richly  caparisoned,  for  him  to  ride, 
but  he  preferred  to  walk  with  his  staff  around,  him,  and  a 
dragoon  led  the  horse  behind  us.  The  windows  along  the 
streets  we  passed  were  crowded  with  people,  and  the  boys 
and  girls  were  in  great  glee — the  Governor's  Island  band 
playing  all  the  time. 

I  have  a  nice  stateroom  on  board  this  ship.  Joe  Johnston 
and  myself  occupy  it.  I  left  "Jem"  to  come  on  with  the 
horses,  as  I  was  afraid  they  would  not  be  properly  cared 
for.  I  took  every  precaution  for  their  comfort,  provided 
them  with  bran,  oats,  etc.,  and  had  slings  made  to  pass 
under  them,  so  that,  if  in  the  heavy  sea  they  should  slip, 
or  be  thrown  off  their  feet,  they  could  not  fall. 

The  ship  rolls  so  that  I  can  scarcely  write.  You  must 
write  to  me  very  often.  I  am  always  very  glad  to  hear 
from  you.  Be  sure  that  I  think  of  you,  and  that  you  have 
the  prayers  of 

Your  affectionate  father, 

R.  E.  Lee. 

8.  Write  a  letter  to  some  member  of  your  family, 
describing  a  journey  you  have  taken. 

SECTION  IV.    THE  COMMA  FAULT 

A  simple  sentence  consists  of  a  single  subject  and  a  sin- 
gle predicate,  either  or  both  of  which  may  be  compound ; 
for  example,  "Howard  was  a  great  philanthropist." 

A  compound  sentence  consists  of  two  or  more  coordinate 
propositions ;  for  example,  "Howard  was  a  great  philan- 
thropist ;  he  spent  his  life  reforming  English  prisons." 

The  following  paragraph  is  made  up  of  simple  sentences : 

"In  those  dear  days  I  was  not  Daniel  Evesette.     I  was 


The  Comma  Fault  29 

the  shipwrecked  Crusoe.  My  clothing  was  transformed  to 
the  skin  of  wild  beasts.  I  spent  my  evening  poring  over  the 
enchanting  volume.  I  learned  my  Robinson  by  heart.  The 
following  day  I  acted  it  with  enthusiasm.  The  manufactory 
became  my  desert  island.  The  large  vats  were  the  ocean. 
The  garden  became  a  primeval  forest.  The  very  grass- 
hoppers on  the  trees  were  called  on  to  play  their  parts. 
But  they  never  knew  it." 

Adapted  from   the  French  of  Baudet. 

These  simple  sentences  may,  however,  be  combined  into 
several  compound  sentences.  In  such  sentences,  the  propo- 
sitions will  be  separated  not  by  periods,  but  by  semicolons. 

"In  those  dear  days,  I  was  not  Daniel  Eyesette ;  I  was  the 
shipwrecked  Crusoe.  My  clothing  was  transformed  into 
the  skins  of  wild  beasts;  I  spent  the  evening  poring  o\er  the 
enchanting  volume ;  I  learned  my  Robinson  by  heart ;  the  fol- 
lowing day  I  acted  it  with  enthusiasm.  The  manufactory 
became  my  desert  island ;  the  large  vats  were  the  ocean ;  the 
garden  became  a  primeval  forest ;  the  very  grasshoppers  on 
the  trees  were  called  on  to  play  their  parts,  but  they  never 
knew  it." 

If  these  propositions  be  connected  by  "and"  or  "but,"  as 
the  sense  may  require,  a  comma  may  often  be  used  instead 

of  a  semicolon. 

Rule.  In  a  compound  sentence  place  a  semicolon  between 
coordinate  propositions  which  are  not  connected  by  a  con- 
junction. To  violate  this  rule  is  to  commit  the  "comma 
fault" ;  it  consists  in  substituting  a  comma  for  a  semicolon. 

Note. — As  soon  as  this  point  is  mastered,  see  also  Rules 
15  and  16,  page  215. 

In  the  following  sentences  commas  are  incorrectly  used 
for  semicolons : 

"The  strangers  were  a  long  time  on  my  island,  they  ex- 
plored it  thoroughly.  I  saw  them  enter  my  grotto,  occa- 
sionally they  would  stop  and  shake  their  heads." 


30  A  First  Year  English  Book 

Exercise 
i.     Punctuate  properly  the  following : 

After  Arthur  had  proved  his  prowess  in  his  contest  with 
the  eleven  kings  he  decided  to  establish  his  court  and  the 
Order  of  the  Round  Table  the  place  he  chose  was  the  city 
of  Camelot  in  Wales  which  had  a  good  situation  being  built 
upon  a  hill  he  called  the  wise  Merlin  and  ordered  him  to 
make  a  great  palace  on  the  summit  of  the  hill  through  his 
powers  of  enchantment  Merlin  was  able  to  do  this  very 
quickly  within  a  week  the  king  and  his  personal  attend- 
ants were  settled  in  the  palace 

The  main  part  consisted  of  a  great  assembly  hall  built 
of  white  marble  the  roof  of  which  seemed  to  be  upheld  by 
pillars  of  green  and  red  porphyry  the  outside  walls  of  the 
hall  were  covered  with  beautiful  rows  of  sculpture  the  low- 
est row  represented  wild  beasts  slaying  men  the  second  row 
represented  men  slaying  wild  beasts  the  third  represented 
warriors  who  were  peaceful  good  men  the  fourth  showed 
men  with  growing  wings  over  all  was  a  winged  statue  with 
the  face  of  Arthur  Merlin  meant  to  show  by  means  of  the 
first  row  that  formerly  evil  in  men  was  greater  than  good 
by  the  second  that  men  began  to  conquer  evil  in  themselves 
their  victories  in  time  causing  them  to  become  really  good 
noble  and  peace-loving  men  as  in  the  third  row  and  finally 
that  through  the  refining  influence  of  good  King  Arthur 
and  his  wise  helpers  men  would  grow  to  be  almost  as  perfect 
as  angels 

King  Arthur  and  Eis  Knights,  Maude  L.  Kadford. 

SECTION  V.     REALITY  BY  MEANS  OF  DETAILS 

The  Awakening  of  Great  Men 

HOW  CAEDMON  BECAME  A  POET. 

More  than  a  thousand  years  ago,  in  the  town  of  Whitby 
lived  an  elderly  peasant,  Caedmon,  on  some  of  the  Abbey 
lands.  All  his  life  long  he  had  patiently  done  his  humble 
work,  expecting  no  reward  or  honor,  content  humbly  to 
serve.     It  was  the  custom,  in  those  days,  for  all  those  who 


Reality  by  Means  of  Details  31 

were  gifted,  to  sing  or  chant  in  praise  of  great  aeeds 
and  great  men.  One  night  Caedmon  was  sitting  among  a 
number  of  his  companions  who  were  singing  the  glories 
of  war  and  of  beauty,  but  when  the  turn  came  to  him,  he 
sat  silent,  unable  to  put  his  thoughts  into  verse.  His  failure 
made  him  ashamed  and  unhappy,  and  he  slipped  away  from 
the  gay  company,  and  went  his  way  to  a  stall  of  oxen,  of 
which  he  had  been  appointed  night-guard.  He  lay  down 
sadly,  and  soon  he  slept.  He  thought  that  an  angel  appeared 
to  him  who  commanded  him  to  sing.  Caedmon  replied  that 
he  was  mute  and  unmusical,  but  the  angel  assured  him  that 
he  should  sing,  nevertheless.  When  Caedmon  asked  what 
songs,  the  angel  bade  him  sing  the  origin  of  things,  and 
straightway  he  made  eighteen  lines  of  verse,  beginning,  "Let 
us  praise  God,  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth." 

In  the  morning,  when  he  awoke,  he  remembered  the  lines. 
He  went  quickly  to  the  town-reeve  to  tell  his  dream,  saying 
that  he  wished  to  use  his  gift  of  verse-making  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  people  in  the  Heavenly  Word.  The  good  and  learned 
Abbess  Hilda  then  received  him,  and  hearing  him  recite, 
was  so  impressed  by  his  skill  that  she  had  him  and  all  his 
worldly  goods  taken  into  the  monastery.  There  the  monks 
read  the  Scriptures  to  him,  from  Genesis  to  Revelation,  and 
wrote  down  and  committed  to  memory  his  oracular  sayings. 
Day  by  day  he  industriously  made  verses,  until,  before  he 
died,  he  had  the  great  happiness  of  putting  many  parts  of 
the  sacred  writing  into  poetry. 


1I()W   [SIDORE  BECAME  A  HISTORIAN 

In  a  little  school  in  Spain  there  was  once  a  lad  who 
was  dull  at  his  books,  and  becoming  discouraged,  often 
played  the  truant.  One  day  he  went  to  an  old  forest,  and 
happened  to  see  a  tiny  spring  dripping  down  upon  a  great 
rock,  in  which  the  water  had  worn  a  hole.  This  slight  acci- 
dent changed  his  life,  for  he  saw  in  it  a  lesson  of  persever- 
ance. Thereafter  he  applied  himself  to  his  books  with  as- 
siduity, and  by  labor  made  up  for  the  lack  of  quickness. 
He  became  a  great  Spanish  historian,  and  a  doctor  of  the 
church,  Saint  Isidore. 


32  A  First  Year  English  Book 

Exercise 

i.  Tell  one  of  these  stories  in  Section  Y.  in  your  own 
words ;  describe  the  place  and  characters  so  vividly  that  we 
can  see  the  main  happenings  as  plainly  as  we  see  them  in 
Robin  Hood  and  the  King,  or  The  Arrival. 

SECTION  VI.     PROPORTION  AND  DETAIL 

Our  Friends  the  Animals 

Read  the  following  selection  from  Maurice  Maeterlinck's 
The  Double  Garden. 

THE  DOMESTICATION  OF  ANIMALS 

We  are  alone,  absolutely  alone  on  this  planet ;  and  amid 
all  the  forms  of  life  which  surround  us,  not  one,  excepting 
the  dog,  has  made  an  alliance  with  us.  .  .  .  Among  the 
animals  we  number  a  few  servants  who  have  submitted  only 
through  indifference,  cowardice,  or  stupidity :  the  uncertain 
and  craven  horse,  who  responds  only  to  pain  and  is  attached 
to  nothing;  the  passive  and  dejected  ass,  who  stays  with 
us  only  because  he  knows  not  what  to  do  or  where  to  go ; 
.  .  .  the  cow  and  the  ox,  who  are  happy  so  long  as  they 
are  eating,  and  docile  because  for  centuries  they  have  not 
had  a  thought  of  their  own ;  the  affrighted  sheep,  who  knows 
no  other  master  than  terror ;  the  hen,  who  is  faithful  to  the 
poultry  yard  because  she  finds  more  maize  and  wheat  there 
than  in  the  neighboring  forest.  I  do  not  speak  of  the  cat 
to  whom  we  are  nothing  more  than  a  too  large  and  uneat- 
able prey ;  the  ferocious  cat,  whose  sidelong  contempt  toler- 
ates us  only  as  an  encumbering  parasite  in  our  ov  n  homes. 
They  do  not  love  us,  do  not  know  us,  scarcely  notice  us. 

Now,  in  this  indifference,  and  the  total  want  of  compre- 
hension in  which  everything  that  surrounds  us  lives,  .  .  . 
one  animal  alone  among  all  that  breathe  upon  the  earth 
.  .  .  has  succeeded  in  breaking  through  the  circle,  in 
escaping  from  itself  to  come  bounding  towards  us.  This  ani- 


Proportion  and  Detail  33 

mal,  our  good  familiar  dog,  simple  and  unsurprising  as  may 
to-day  appear  what  he  has  done,  in  thus  drawing  nearer  to  a 
world  in  which  he  was  not  born  and  for  which  he  was  not 
destined,  has  nevertheless  performed  one  of  the  most  unusual 
and  improbable  acts  that  we  can  find  in  the  general  history 
of  life. 

.  .  .  The  word  "friend"  does  not  exactly  depict  his 
affectionate  worship.  He  loves  us  and  reveres  us.  He  is 
our  creature,  full  of  gratitude  and  more  devoted  than  is  the 
apple  of  our  eye.  He  is  our  intimate  and  impassioned  slave 
whom  nothing  discourages,  whom  nothing  repels,  whose 
ardent  trust  and  love  nothing  can  impair. 

Exercises 

/.  Oral.  This  selection  gives  Maeterlinck's  opinion 
about  the  dog  and  the  cat.  Summarize  his  views  in  your 
own  words. 

2.  Oral.  Do  you  agree  with  Maeterlinck?  Which  do 
you  think  is  the  better  friend  of  man,  the  dog  or  the  cat? 
Relate  an  incident  which  shows  intelligence  in  an  animal. 
Have  you  ever  had  a  pet  or  trained  an  animal  ?  What  do 
you  know  of  the, habits  of  birds? 

3.  Write  a  theme  on  any  of  the  subjects  suggested  by 
these  questions. 

4.  Read  the  following  story  : 

SIR  IVAINE  AND  THE  LION 

At  daybreak,  Sir  Ivaine  reached  a  valley,  and  as  he  went 
through  it,  he  saw  a  great  «erpent  fighting  with  a  lion.  Sir 
Ivaine  stopped  to  watch  the  curious  combat.  At  first  the 
two  fighters  seemed  evenly  matched,  but  soon  the  huge  ser- 
pent wrapped  all  its  folds  abcWt  the  lion  and  began  squeez- 
ing it  to  death.  When  Sir  Ivaine  saw  this,  lie  drew  his 
sword  and  killed  the  serpent. 

The  moment  the  lion  was  free,  it  bounded  up  to  Sir 
Ivaine.  He  was  afraid  that  it  meant  to  kill  him,  but  it 
fawned  at  his  feet  like  a  spaniel.    He  stroked  it  and  put  his 


34  A  First  Year  English  Book 

arms  about  its  neck.  When  he  mounted  his  horse,  the  beast 
followed  him,  refusing  to  go  away.  Then  Sir  Ivaine  made 
up  his  mind  that  they  were  to  be  companions.  For  many 
days  the  two  kept  close  together,  and  at  night  Sir  Ivaine 
would  go  to  sleep  with  his  head  on  the  lion's  neck. 

One  day  as  they  came  to  a  square  castle  set  in  a  meadow, 
some  people  who  stood  on  the  castle  walls  began  to  shoot 
arrows  at  the  lion,  hut  Sir  Ivaine  stopped  them,  telling  them 
that  the  animal  was  tame.  Then  they  told  him  that  it  was 
their  rule  that  no  one  should  pass  by  that  castle  without 
doing  battle  with  their  lord.  Sir  Ivaine  told  them  that  he 
was  quite  willing  to  obey  their  rule;  so  they  opened  the 
eastle  gate.  They  said  he  must  make  the  lion  stay  outside, 
but  Sir  Ivaine  refused  to  do  this.  He  promised,  however, 
to  make  the  lion  lie  down  quietly,  and  then  the  two  were 
allowed  to  enter. 

The  courtyard  was  a  large  paved  place  in  which  there 
was  a  score  of  armed  men.  Presently  the  lord  of  the  castle 
came  forward.  He  was  much  larger  than  Sir  Ivaine,  and 
the  lion  seemed  to  observe  this,  for  it  began  to  lash  its  tail 
violently.  But  Sir  Ivaine  ordered  it  to  be  still,  and  it  at 
once  obeyed. 

Then  Sir  Ivaine  and  the  knight  battled  together.  The 
knight  was  powerful,  but  Sir  Ivaine  was  very  agile  and  skill- 
ful. He  was  not  able  to  strike  so  hard  as  his  enemy,  but  he 
was  better  able  to  avoid  blows.  Therefore,  it  was  not  long 
before  he  got  the  advantage  and  overthrew  the  lord  of  the 
castle.  When  this  happened,  the  lord  called  for  help,  and 
ordered  his  armed  men  to  kill  Sir  Ivaine.  The  whole  twenty 
rushed  forward  to  obey  this  treacherous  order,  but  just  as 
they  were  about  to  fall  upon  Sir  Ivaine,  the  lion  bounded 
among  them,  roaring  savagely.  With  a  few  strokes  of  its 
powerful  paws  it  disabled  the  men.  Sir  Ivaine  told  the 
lord  of  the  castle  that  he  must  ride  to  Camelot  and  give  him- 
self up  to  Arthur  to  be  judged  for  his  treachery.  Then  Sir 
Ivaine  rode  away  from  the  castle,  his  heart  full  of  gratitude 
to  the  lion  for  saving  his  life. 

King  Arthur  and  His  Knights,  Maude  L.  Radford. 

5.  Reproduce  in  writing  the  story  of  Ivaine.  How  many 
incidents   are   there   in    it  ?    Where   does   each    take  place  ? 


Sentence  Unity  35 

Which  is  most  important  ?  Would  it  be  well  to  explain  that 
Sir  Ivaine  was  one  of  King  Arthur's  knights,  and  that  he 
was  traveling  in  France  in  quest  of  adventures?  Where 
should  these  facts  be  told?  Would  the  story  be  improved 
by  telling  what  finally  became  of  the  lion  ?  Keep  your  story 
in  good  proportion. 

6.  Oral.  Have  you  read  any  animal  stories  by  Jack 
London,  Ernest  Thompson  Seton,  or  Rudyard  Kipling  ? 
If  so,  tell  one  of  them  in  your  own  words. 

SECTION   VII.     SENTENCE  UNITY 

The  sentence  is  a  group  of  words  wrhich  makes  a  state- 
ment. In  other  words,  it  expresses  one  main  thought.  The 
sentence  may  state  a  short  and  simple  thought,  as:  "My 
mind  to  me  a  kingdom  is."  Or,  it  may  state  a  longer  and 
more  complex  thought,  as :  "If  my  mind  is  a  kingdom,  it 
has  often  seemed  to  me  sadly  in  need  of  a  ruler,  being  in- 
clined at  times  to  unreasonable  rebellion,  and  often  showing 
a  bankrupt  treasury." 

But  whether  a  sentence  be  long  or  short,  simple  or  in- 
volved, it  must  not  contain  thoughts  that  are  not  related. 
It  must  express  one  main  thought.  It  is  hard  to  define  just 
what  we  mean  by  one  thought,  but  our  minds  are  so  made 
that  we  can  readily  determine  when  a  sentence  contains 
thoughts  which  do  not  belong  together.  You  may  say: 
"That  man  with  the  dull  auburn  hair  is  an  American  states- 
man," because  the  sentence  expresses  one  thought.  Your 
mind  is  on  the  American  statesman,  and  the  mention  of  his 
hair  is  descriptive  of  him.  But  if  you  say,  "He  was  an 
American  statesman,  and  his  hair  was  dull  auburn,"  your 
sentence  lacks  unity,  because  you  have  put  together  two 
distinct  ideas  which  have  no  relation  to  each  other. 

Rule:  Every  sentence  should  express  one  main  thought 
and  only  one. 


36  A  first  Year  English  Book 

Exercise  for  Study 

1.     Divide  into  sentences  the  following  passage : 

Well,  I  came  into  the  village,  where  I  did  not  see  (nor 
by  this  time  expected  to  see)  a  single  modern  building, 
although  many  of  them  were  nearly  new  notable  was  the 
church  which  was  large  and  quite  ravished  my  heart  with  its 
extreme  beauty  elegance  and  fitness  the  chancel  of  this  was 
so  new  that  the  dust  of  the  stone  still  lay  white  on  the  mid- 
summer grass  beneath  the  carvings  of  the  windows  the 
houses  were  almost  all  built  of  oak  framework  filled  with 
cob  or  plaster  well  whitewashed  though  some  had  their 
lower  stories  of  rubble-stone  with  their  windows  and  doors 
of  well-molded  freestone  there  was  much  curious  and  inven- 
tive carving  about  most  of  them  and  though  some  were  old 
and  much  worn  there  was  the  same  look  of  deftness  and 
trimness  and  even  beauty  about  every  detail  of  them  which  I 
noticed  before  in  the  field-work  they  were  all  roofed  with  oak 
shingles  mostly  grown  as  gray  as  stone  but  one  was  so  newly 
built  that  its  roof  was  yet  pale  and  yellow  this  was  a  corner 
house  and  the  corner  post  of  it  had  a  carved  niche  wherein 
stood  a  gaily  painted  figure  holding  an  anchor — St.  Clement 
to  wit  as  the  dweller  in  the  house  was  a  blacksmith  half  a 
stone's  throw  from  the  east  end  of  the  churchyard  wall  was 
a  tall  cross  of  stone  new  like  the  church  the  head  beautifully 
carved  with  a  crucifix  amidst  leafage  it  stood  on  a  set  of 
wide  stone  steps  octagonal  in  shape  where  three  roads  from 
other  villages  met  and  formed  a  wide  open  space  on  which 
a  thousand  people  or  more  could  stand  together  with  no 
great  crowding. 

A  J>ream  of  John  Ball,  William  Morris. 

Review  of  Rules  for  the  Sentence 

1.  Every  sentence  should  begin  with  a  capital  letter  and 
end  with  a  period,  a  question  mark,  or  an  exclamation  point. 

2.  Do  not  write  phrases  or  clauses  as  if  they  were 
sentences. 

3.  ///  a  compound  sentence  place  a  semicolon  between 
coordinate  propositions  which  arc  not  connected  by  con- 
junctions. 


A  Review  of  the  Sentence  37 

4.     Every  sentence  should  express  one  wain  thought  and 
only  one. 


SECTION  VIII.     A  REVIEW  OF  THE  SENTENCE 

Adventures  with  Books 

1.  Write  in  your  own  words  a  theme,  drawing  your 
material  from  one  of  the  following-  biographical  sketches 
Find  an  apt  title  for  your  theme. 

From  my  infancy  I  was  passionately  fond  of  reading, 
and  all  the  money  that  came  into  my  hands  was  laid  out  in 
the  purchasing  of  books.  I  was  very  fond  of  voyages.  My 
first  acquaintance  was  Bunyan's  works  in  separate  little  vol- 
umes. I  afterwards  sold  them  to  enable  me  to  buy  R.  Bur- 
ton's Historical  Collections.  They  were  small  chapmen's 
books,  and  cheap ;  forty  volumes  in  all.  My  father's  little 
library  consisted  chiefly  of  books  on  polemic  divinity,  most 
of  which  I  read.  I  have  often  regretted  that  at  a  time 
when  I  had  such  a  thirst  for  knowledge,  more  proper  books 
had  not  fallen  in  my  way,  since  it  was  resolved  I  should 
not  be  bred  to  divinity.  There  was  among  them  Plutarch's 
Lives,  which  I  read  abundantly,  and  I  still  think  that  time 
spent  to  great  advantage.  There  was  also  a  book  of  Defoe's 
called  An  Essay  on  Projects,  and  another  of  Dr.  Mather's 
called  An  Essay  to  Do  Good,  which  perhaps  gave  me  a  turn 
of  thinking,  that  had  an  influence  on  some  of  the  principal 
future  events  of  my  life. 

Autobiography,  Benjamin  Franklin. 

I  remember  well  the  spot  where  I  read  these  volumes 
[Percy's  Reliques]  for  the  first  time.  It  was  beneath  a 
huge  plantain  tree  in  the  ruins  of  what  had  been  intended 
for  an  old-fashioned  arbor  in  the  garden  I  have  mentioned. 
The  summer  day  sped  onward  so  fast  that,  notwithstanding 
the  sharp  appetite  of  thirteen,  I  forgot  the  hour  of  dinner, 
was  sought  for  with  anxiety,  and  was  found  still  entranced  in 
my  intellectual  banquet.  To  read  and  to  remember  was,  in  this 


38  A  First  Year  English  Book 

instance,  the  same  thing;  and  henceforth  I  overwhelmed  my 
school-fellows,  and  all  who  would  listen  to  me,  with  tragical 
recitations  of  the  ballads  of  Bishop  Percy.  The  first  time, 
too,  I  could  -(.Tape  a  few  shillings  together,  I  bought  unto 
myself  a  copy  of  these  beloved  volumes;  nor  do  I  believe 
I  ever  read  a  book  so  frequently,  or  with  half  the  enthu- 
siasm. 

Memoirs  of  My  Early  Life,  Bib  Walter  Scott. 

I  begged  my  mother  to  give  us  Schwab's  Talcs  of 
(lassie  Antiquity,  which  was  owned  by  one  of  our  com- 
panions.   We  received  it  <>n  Ludo's  birthday,  in  September, 

and  how  we  listened  when  it  was  read  to  US — how  often  we 
ourselves  devoured  its  delightful  contents. 

I  think  the  story  of  the  Trojan  War  made  a  deeper 
impression  on  me  than  even  the  Arabian  Mights.  Homer's 
heroes  seemed  like  giant  oaks,  which  far  overtopped  the  lit- 
tle trees  of  the  human  wood.  They  towered  like  glorious 
snow  mountains  above  the  little  hills  with  which  my  childish 
imagination  was  already  tilled  ;  and  how  often  we  played  the 
Trojan  War.  and  aspired  to  the  honor  of  acting  Hector. 
Achilles,  or  Aiax  ! 

Tin  Story  of  M.n  Life,  Qeoboi  Ebers. 


In  those  times,  Cook's  edition  of  the  British  poets  came 
up.  I  had  got  an  odd  volume  of  Spenser ;  and  I  fell  pas- 
sionately in  love  with  Collins  and  Gray.  How  I  loved  those 
little  six-penny  numbers  containing  whole  poets !  I  doted 
on  their  size;  I  doted  on  their  type,  on  their  ornaments,  on 
their  wrappers  containing  lists  of  other  poets,  and  on  the 
engravings  from  Kirk.  I  bought  them  over  and  over  again, 
and  used  to  get  up  select  sets  which  disappeared  like  but- 
tered crumpets ;  for  I  could  resist  neither  giving  them  away, 
nor  possessing  them.  When  the  master  tormented  me — 
when  I  used  to  hate  and  loath  the  sight  of  Homer,  and 
Demosthenes,  and  Cicero — I  would  comfort  myself  with 
thinking  of  the  sixpence  in  my  pocket,  with  which  I  should 
go  out  to  Paternoster  Row,  when  school  was  over,  and  buy 
another  number  of  an  English  poet. 

Autobiography,  Lfi<;h  TTtxt. 


Subordination  in  the  Sentence  39 

Note:  If  possible  read  in  Ruskin's  Praeterita,  Volume 
II..  Chapter  I.,  his  account  of  his  study  of  bible  stories;  and 
in  Cross's  Life  of  George  Eliot,  Chapter  I.,  the  account 
of  her  liking  for  ^sop's  Fables. 

2.  Oral.  Do  you  find  any  of  these  experiences  with 
books  surprising?  What  have  been  your  experiences'1 
When  you  were  very  young  had  you  any  favorite  stories 
or  poems?  Later,  were  you  especially  pleased  with  any 
books?     Did  you  read  them  more  than  once? 

j.  Write  a  letter  to  a  friend  who  has  ten  dollars  to  spend 
for  books,  and  has  asked  your  advice  on  what  books  to  buv. 

4.  Write  a  theme  with  some  such  title  as  "My  Literary 
Likings,"  "Good  Old  Friends,"  or  "Adventures  Among 
Books."  Be  sure  not  to  make  your  theme  a  mere  catalogue. 
Tell  what  these  "friends"  meant  to  you.  in  such  a  way  that 
your  reader  will  feel  interested  in  them. 

5.  Examine  the  theme  you  have  written  to  see  that  you 
have  violated  none  of  the  rules  for  the  sentence,  given  on 
pages  36  and  37. 

SECTION  IX.     SUBORDINATION  IN  THE 
SENTENCE 

Since  the  purpose  of  writing  is  to  express  thought,  the 
question  is  not  one  of  arbitrary  rules,  but  of  shaping  the 
sentence  to  fit  the  thought.  Sometimes  we  have  a  series  of 
similar  thoughts  which  need  a  series  of  like  constructions  to 
express  them;  sometimes  our  thoughts  are  very  dissimilar; 
some  of  them  are  important  and  some  unimportant.  To 
express  them  aptly,  then,  we  need  different  kinds  of  con- 
structions. 

To  express  our  thoughts,  we  have  only  words,  phrases, 
clauses,  and  sentences.  Our  most  important  thoughts  we 
put  in   main   statements ;   less   important  ones   we   put   in 


40  A  First  Year  English  Book 

modifying  or  dependent  clauses ;  still  less  important  ones 
we  put  in  phrases ;  less  important  ones  yet  in  modifying 
words.  How  clumsy  our  expression  would  be  if  we  used 
only  statements  of  equal  value  is  evident  from  selection  i, 
in  which  almost  every  idea  is  in  the  form  of  a  statement. 
Contrast  this  with  selection  2,  and  note  how  much  more 
accurately  the  thought  is  expressed  in  the  latter. 


1. 

Silver  trumpets  sounded  a  flourish.  The  javelin-men 
came  pacing  down  Treggarric  Fore  Street.  The  sher- 
iff's coach  swung  behind  them.  Its  panels  were  splendid 
with  fresh  blue  paint  and  florid  blazonry.  Its  wheels  were 
picked  out  in  yellow.  This  scheme  of  color  extended 
to  the  coachman  and  the  two  lackeys,  who  held  on  at  the 
back  by  leathern  straps.  Each  wore  a  coat  and  breeches  of 
electric  blue,  and  a  canary  waistcoat.  Each  was  toned  off 
with  powder  and  flesh-colored  stockings  at  the  extremities. 
Within  the  coach  sat  the  two  judges  of  the  Crown  Court 
and  Nisi  Prius.  They  sat  facing  the  horses.  They  were 
both  in  scarlet.  They  wore  wigs  and  little  round  patches 
of  black  plaster,  like  ventilators,  on  top.  Facing  their  lord- 
ships, sat  Sir  Felix  Felix-Williams.  He  was  the  sheriff. 
He  wore  a  tightish  uniform  of  the  yeomanry.  A  great 
shako  nodded  on  his  knees.  A  chaplain  sat  bolt  upright  by 
his  side.  Behind,  trooped  a  rabble  of  loafers  and  small 
boys.  They  shouted,  "Who  bleeds  bran?"  The  lackeys' 
calves  itched  with  indignation. 


2. 

Silver  trumpets  sounded  a  flourish,  and  the  jave- 
lin-men came  pacing  down  Treggarric  Fore  Street,  with 
the  sheriff's  coach  swinging  behind  them,  its  panels  splen- 
did with  fresh  blue  paint  and  florid  blazonry.  Its  wheels 
were  picked  out  in  yellow,  and  this  scheme  of  color  extended 
to  the  coachman  and  the  two  lackeys,  who  held  on  at  the 
back  by  leathern  straps.    Each  wore  a  coat  and  breeches  of 


Ii3 


Subordination  in  the  Sentence  41 

electric  blue,  with  a  canary  waistcoat,  and  was  toned  off 
with  powder  and  flesh-colored  stockings  at  the  extremities. 
Within  the  coach,  and  facing  the  horses,  sat  the  two  judges 
of  the  Crown  Court  and  Nisi  Prius,  both  in  scarlet,  with 
full  wigs  and  little  round  patches  of  black  plaster,  like  venti- 
lators, on  top ;  facing  their  lordship  sat  Sir  Felix  Felix- 
Williams,  the  sheriff,  in  a  tightish  uniform  of  the  yeomanry 
with  a  great  shako  nodding  on  his  knees,  and  a  chaplain 
bolt  upright  by  his  side.  Behind  trooped  a  rabble  of  loafers 
and  small  boys  who  shouted  "Who  bleeds  bran?"  till  the 
lackeys'  calves  itched  with  indignation. 

The  Drawn  Blind,  A.  T.  Quiller-Couch. 

In  order,  then,  to  express  your  thoughts  fittingly,  you 
must  be  able  to  use  all  the  different  elements  of  a  sentence — 
words,  phrases,  and  clauses, — which  are  subordinate  to  the 
main  statements.     These  subordinate  elements  are : 

1.  Modifying  words,  including  adjectives,  adverbs,  pos- 
sessives,  and  appositives.  • 

2.  Modifying  phrases : 

(a)  Prepositional. 

(b)  Participial. 

(c)  Infinitive. 

3.  Clauses  beginning  with  a  relative  pronoun  or  a 
subordinating  conjunction. 

Exercises 

1.  Turn  to  Section  III.,  page  24;  Exercise  4,  pages  33- 
34;  and  name  the  subordinate  elements  in  each  selection. 

2.  Rewrite  the  following  selection  in  longer  sentences, 
subordinating  unimportant  statements : 

The  bowl  of  food  stood  on  the  chair.  The  rush-light 
was  beside  it.  I  finished  the  food,  and  felt  better  for  it.  I 
stretched  myself   upon  the   couch  and   fell   into  a  heavy, 


42  A  First  Year  English  Book 

dreamless  asleep.  This  may  have  lasted  three  or  four 
hours.  I  was  suddenly  awakened.  I  heard  a  sound  that 
was  like  the  creaking  of  hinges.  I  sat  up  on  the  pallet;  I 
gazed  around  me.  The  rush-light  had  burned  out  and  the 
cell  was  dark.  A  grayish  glimmer  at  one  end  showed  dimly 
the  position  of  the  aperture,  but  all  else  was  thick  and  black. 
I  strained  my  eyes  and  ears.  I  heard  no  further  sound. 
Yet  I  was  certain  I  had  not  been  deceived.  The  noise  which 
had  aroused  me  was  within  my  very  chamber.  I  rose  and 
felt  my  way  carefully  about  the  room.  I  passed  my  hands 
over  the  walls  and  door.  Then  I  paced  backward  and  for- 
ward. I  tested  the  flooring.  I  sat  down  on  the  side  of  my 
bed.  I  waited  patiently  in  the  hope  of  hearing  the  sound 
again.  Presently  a  dull  yellow  light  streamed  from  above. 
It  issued  from  a  thin  slit  in  the  center  of  the  arched  roof 
above  me.  Eagerly  I  watched  it.  The  slit  widened  and  ex- 
tended as  if  a  sliding  panel  were  being  pulled  out.  A 
good  sized  hole  was  left.  Through  this  I  saw  a  head.  It 
looked  down  on  me.  The  knotted  end  of  a  rope  was  passed 
through  this  opening.  It  dangled  down  to  the  dungeon 
floor.  I  pulled  it.  I  found  it  was  firmly  secured  above. 
I  went  up  hand  over  hand.  I  had  some  difficulty  in  squeez- 
ing my  shoulders  through  the  hole.  I  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  room  above. 


Untrained  or  careless  writers  often  write  sentences  made 
up  of  two  statements  connected  by  "and  so,"  one  of  which 
is  really  subordinate  to  the  other.  This  type  of  sentence  is 
often  called  "loose-knit."  An  example  is,  "The  sky  was 
overcast,  and  so  we  carried  our  umbrellas."  The  sentence 
should  read,  "As  the  sky  was  overcast,  we  carried  our 
umbrellas."  Note  that  such  sentences  are  poor  because 
they  do  not  accurately  express  the  thought. 

5.     Correct  the  following  loose-knit  sentences : 

The  king  was  ready  to  sail  from  France  for  England 
and  a  man  asked  the  king  to  let  him  take  him  in  the  boat. 


Proportion  and  Detail  43 

But  the  king  had  already  engaged  his  boat,  and  so  he  told 
him  to  take  the  prince.  And  so  the  king  sailed  first.  But 
the  prince  was  a  jolly  fellow  and  so  he  staid  until  the  moon 
came  up.  The  prince  had  ordered  festivities,  and  so  they 
all  danced  and  sang  till  midnight.  Then  they  set  sail.  And 
the  princess  was  with  them.  And  they  were  still  sing- 
ing merrily  when  suddenly  the  boat  struck  a  rock.  The 
prince  got  in  a  boat  and  shoved  off,  but  he  heard  his  sister 
call,  and  so  he  went  back  to  get  her.  Then  all  the  people 
rushed  into  the  boat  and  overturned  it,  and  so  they  were 
all  drowned.  Only  one  came  ashore,  and  he  was  a  butcher. 
And  he  went  to  the  king  and  told  the  story.  And  the  king 
never  smiled  again. 


SECTION   X.     PROPORTION   AND   DETAIL 

The  Matter  of  Fairy  Stories 

There  is  a  large  class  of  literature  called  folk  lore  and 
folk  tales,  which  includes  animal  stories,  myths,  legends, 
fairy  tales,  and  household  tales.  Nearly  every  child  likes 
them,  and  some  retain  the  liking  till  old  age.  Scientists 
who  have  spent  years  studying  them  tell  us  that  such  sto- 
ries as  Cinderella,  The  Tar-Baby  and  Jack  and  the  Bean 
Stalk  are  told  to  children  from  China  to  Peru.  On  the 
other  hand,  some  persons  consider  such  stories  mere  non- 
sense and  a  waste  of  time.  Read  the  following  selection 
from  the  life  of  Ebers : 

When  the  time  for  rising  came,  my  mother  called  me.  I 
climbed  joyfully  into  her  warm  bed,  and  she  drew  her 
darling  into  her  arms,  played  all  sorts  of  pranks  with  him, 
and  never  did  I  listen  to  more  beautiful  fairy  tales  than  at 
those  hours.  They  became  instinct  with  life  to  me,  and 
have  always  remained  so ;  for  my  mother  gave  them  the 
form  of  dramas,  in  which  I  was  permitted  to  be  an  actor. 

The  best  one  of  all  was  Little  Red  Riding  Hood.  I 
played  the  little  girl  who  goes  into  the  wood,  and  she  was 


44  A  First  Year  English  Book 

the  wolf.  When  the  wicked  beast  had  disguised  herself  in 
the  grandmother's  cap,  I  not  only  asked  the  regulation 
questions:  "( jrandmother,  what  makes  you  have  such  big 
eyes?  Grandmother,  why  is  your  skin  so  rough?"  etc.,  but 
invented  new  ones  to  defer  the  grand  final  effect,  which  fol- 
low ed  the  words,  "Grandmother,  why  do  you  have  such  big, 
sharp  teeth  ?"  and  the  answer,  "So  that  I  can  eat  you,"  where- 
upon the  wolf  sprang  on  me  and  devoured  me — with  kisses. 

How  real  this  merry  sport  made  the  distress  of  perse- 
cuted innocence,  the  terrors  and  charm  of  the  forest,  the 
joys  and  splendor  of  the  fairy  realm!  If  the  flowers  of  the 
garden  had  raised  their  voice  in  song,  if  the  birds  on  the 
bough  had  called  and  spoken  to  me — nay,  if  a  tree  had 
changed  into  a  beautiful  fairy,  or  the  toad  in  the  damp  path 
of  our  shaded  avenues  into  a  witch — it  would  have  seemed 
only  natural.. 

I  plead  with  voice  and  pen  in  behalf  of  fairy  tales.  I 
tell  them  to  my  children  and  grandchildren,  and  have  even 
written  a  volume  of  them  myself.  How  perverse  and  unjust 
it  is  to  banish  the  fain-  tale  from  the  life  of  the  child. 
because  devotion  to  its  charm  might  prove  detrimental  to 
the  grown  person!  lias  not  the  former  the  same  claim  to 
consideration  as  the  latter? 

The  Story  <>(  My  Life,  Ge<jk<;e  Ebeks. 

Exercises 

i.  Oral.  Do  you  think  that  people  should  read  fairy 
Tories,  myths,  and  household  tales?  What  books  of  this 
kind  do  you  know  ?  Have  you  any  theory  as  to  why  people 
should  tell  such  stories?  Can  you  add  to  the  arguments 
of  George  Ebers? 

2.  Write  a  theme  giving  your  ideas  on  the  topic,  "Should 
People  Read  Fairy  Stories?". 

j.  Read  the  following  ballad.  Note  that,  as  in  Sir 
Patrick  Spens,  page  20,  much  of  the  story  is  told  by  ques- 
tion and  answer.  The  fairies  are  said  to  be  very  eager  to 
carry  away  mortals  to  fairyland,  whence  return  is  impos- 
sible for  the  rash  mortal  who  takes  food  from  them.    Thus, 


Proportion  and  Detail  45 

though  the  lady  warns  Thomas  not  to  speak,  she  cunningly 
offers  him  an  apple.  He  is  too  shrewd,  however,  to  accept 
it,  and  is  thus  able  to  return  to  the  land  of  mortals  after 
living  seven  years  in  fairyland. 

THOMAS  THE  RHYMER 

True  Thomas  lay  on  Huntlie  bank ; 

A  ferlie  he  spied  wi'  his  e'e; 
And  there  he  saw  a  lady  bright, 

Come  riding  down  by  the  Eildon  Tree. 

Her  skirt  was  o'  the  grass-green  silk, 

Her  mantle  o'  the  velvet  fine, 
At  every  lock  of  her  horse's  mane 

Hung  fifty  silver  bells  and  nine. 

True  Thomas  he  pulled  off  his  cap, 

And  lonted  low  down  to  his  knee : 
"All  hail  thou  mighty  Queen  of  Heaven ! 

For  thy  peer  on  earth  I  never  did  see.''' 

"O  no,  O  no,  Thomas,"  she  said, 

"That  name  does  not  belong  to  me ; 
I  am  but  the  queen  of  fair  elfland, 

That  am  hither  come  to  visit  thee. 

"Harp  and  carp,  Thomas,"  she  said, 

"Harp  and  carp  along  wi'  me, 
And  if  ye  dare  to  kiss  my  lips. 

Sure  of  your  body  I  will  be !" 

"Betide  me  weal,  betide  me  woe, 

That  fate  shall  never  daunton  me ;" 
Syne  he  has  kissed  her  rosy  lips. 

All  underneath  the  Eildon  Tree. 

"Now  ye  must  go  with  me,"  she  said, 

"True  Thomas,  ye  must  go  with  me, 
And  ye  must  serve  me  seven  years, 

Through  weal  or  woe  as  may  chance  to  be.'" 


4$  A  First  Year  English  Book 

She  mounted  on  her  milk-white  steed, 
She's  ta'en  True  Thomas  up  behind, 

And  aye  whene'er  her  bridle  rang, 
The  steed  flew  swifter  than  the  wind. 

They  rode  on  and  farther  on — 

The  steed  went  swifter  than  the  wind — 

Until  they  reached  a  desert  wide, 
And  living  land  was  left  behind. 

"Light  down,  light  down  now  True  Thomas, 
And  lean  your  head  upon  my  knee; 

Abide  and  rest  a  little  space, 

And  I  will  show  you  ferlies  three. 

"O  see  ye  not  yon  narrow  road, 
So  thick  beset  with  thorns  and  briers? 

That  is  the  path  of  righteousness, 
Though  after  it  but  few  enquires. 

"And  see  ye  not  that  broad,  broad  road, 

That  lies  across  that  lily  leven  ? 
That  is  the  path  of  wickedness. 

Though  some  call  it  the  road  to  heaven. 

"And  see  not  ye  that  bonny  road, 

That  winds  about  the  fernie  brae  ? 
That  is  the  road  to  fair  elfland, 

Where  thou  and  I  this  night  must  gae. 

"But.  Thomas,  you  must  hold  your  tongue, 

Whatever  ye  may  hear  or  see. 
For,  if  you  speak  word  in  Elflin  land, 

Ye'll  ne'er  get  back  to  your  own  countree." 

O  they  rode  on  and  farther  on, 

And  they  waded  through  rivers  above  the  knee, 
And  they  saw  neither  sun  nor  moon, 

But  they  heard  the  roaring  of  the  sea. 

Soon  they  came  to  a  garden  green, 
And  she  pulled  an  apple  from  a  tree : 


Proportion  and  Detail  4.7 

"Take  this  for  thy  wages,  True  Thomas; 
It  will  give  the  tongue  that  can  never  lie." 

"My  tongue  is  mine  own,"  True  Thomas  said, 
"A  goodly  gift  you  would  give  to  me ! 

I  neither  dought  to  buy  nor  sell, 
At  fair  or  tryst  where  I  may  be. 

"I  dought  neither  speak  to  prince  or  peer, 

Nor  ask  of  grace  from  fair  ladye ." 
"Now  hold  thy  peace,"  the  lady  said, 

"For  as  I  say  so  must  it  be." 

He  has  gotten  a  coat  of  the  even  cloth, 

And  a  pair  of  shoes  of  velvet  green, 
And  till  seven  years  were  gone  and  past, 

True  Thomas  on  earth  was  never  seen. 

Note  :     "Ferlie"  means  wonder :   "louted"  means  bowed  ;  "harp     and 
carp"  means  play    and  talk ;  "leven"    means  lawn  ;  "dought"  means  could. 

4.  Why  does  Thomas  think  that  the  lady  was  "the 
Queen  of  Heaven"?  Why  does  he  kiss  her?  Through 
what  kind  of  country  do  they  pass?  What  excuse  does 
Thomas  give  for  not  taking  the  apple?  How  many  inci- 
dents are  there  in  the  story?  Where  does  each  take  place? 
Would  it  be  interesting  to  add  an  incident  in  which  Thomas 
finds  himself  home  again  on  Huntlie  bank  ?  How  would  he 
feel?  What  would  the  neighbors  say  to  him?  Write  a 
theme,  describing  each  incident  fully,  so  that  we  can  see  just 
what  happens.  Keep  the  theme  in  good  proportion.  Make 
the  main  points  very  clear. 

5.  Tell  the  story  of  the  Sleeping  Beauty ;  or  of  Rip  Van 
Winkle ;  or  of  how  Siegfried  rescued  Brunhilde.  What  are 
the  points  of  likeness  in  these  stories" 

6.  Whatever  we  may  think  of  fairies,  the  poets  have 
certainly  imagined  beautiful  things  about  them.  Which  of 
the  descriptions  given  below  do  you  like  best?  Learn  one 
selection. 


48  A  First  Year  English  Hook 

MERCUTIO'S  SPEECH 

Oh,  then,  I  sec,  Queen  Mab  hath  been  with  you. 
She  is  the  fairy  midwife;  and  she  comes 
In  shape  no  bigger  than  an  agate-stone 
On  the  fore-finger  of  an  alderman, 
Drawn  with  a  team  of  little  atomies 
Athwart  men's  noses  as  they  lie  asleep. 
Her  chariot  is  an  empty  hazel-nut, 
Made  by  the  joiner  squirrel  <>r  old  grub, 
Time  out  o'  mind  the  fairies'  coachma! 
Her  wagon-spokes  made  of  long  spinners'  legs; 
The  cover,  of  the  wings  of  grasshopper- ; 
The  trace-,  of  the  smallest  spider's  web; 
The  collars,  of  the  moonshine's  watery  beams; 
Her  whip,  of  cricket's  bone;  the  lash,  of  film; 
Her  wagoner,  a  -mall  gray-coated  gnat. 
Not  half  so  big  as  a  round  little  worm 
Prick'd  from  the  lazy  fingers  of  a  maid. 

Romeo  <iiui  Juliet,  Shakbspears. 


FAIRY'S  SPEECH 

Over  hill,  over  dale, 

Thorough  bush,  thorough  brier, 
Over  park,  over  pale, 

Thorough  flood,  thorough  fire, 
I  do  wander  everywhere, 
Swifter  than  the  moon's  sphere ; 
And  I  serve  the  Fairy  Queen, 
To  dew  her  orbs  upon  the  green. 
The  cowslips  tall  her  pensioners  be : 
In  their  gold  coats  spots  you  see; 
These  be  rubies,  fairy  favours, 
In  these  freckles  live  their  savours. 
I  must  go  seek  some  dewdrops  here, 
And  hang  a  pearl  in  every  cowslip's  ear. 

Midsummer  Xight's  Dream,  Shakespeare. 


Coordination  49 

SECTION  XL    COORDINATION 

"And  Which" 

"And"  and  "but"  are  coordinating  conjunctions,  and 
should  be  used  only  between  sentence  elements  of  equal 
rank. 

1.  Turn  to  Section  V.,  page  30,  and  point  out  all  cases 
in  which  "and"  or  "but"  is  used.  What  sentence  elements 
do  they  connect,  words,  phrases,  or  clauses?  Are  they  of 
equal  importance? 

2.  Correct  the  mistakes  in  the  following  sentences : 

1.  I  have  a  good  photograph  of  the  camp  taken  with 
my  new  kodak  and  which,  if  you  wish,  I  will  send  to  you. 

2.  I  have  written  a  description  which  I  think  rather 
vivid  and  which  I  will  send  you. 

3.  The  best  way  is  to  keep  them  in  a  dry  place,  and 
turning  them  when  they  need  it 

4.  The  valleys  were  covered  with  huge  trees,  thick  and 
tall,  and  which  no  boy  could  climb. 

5.  One  branch  of  the  road  leads  to  Millersville,  and  the 
other  turning  west  toward  the  lake. 

6.  I  have  told  you  of  our  memorable  adventure,  and 
which  indeed  I  should  be  sorry  to  forget. 

j.  Summarize  all  the  points  you  have  so  far  learned 
about  the  sentence. 


SECTION   XII.     PROPORTION   AND   CLEARNESS 

The  Story  of  a  Scientist 

1.     Write  in  your  own  words  the  story  given  below. 

Audubon  was  the  youngest  of  four  children  who  lived 
with  an  indulgent  stepmother  on  the  Loire,  nine  miles  from 
Nantes,   while    their    father,    a   commodore   in    Napoleon's 


50  A  First  Year  English  Book 

navy,  sailed  the  high  seas.  Madame  Audubon  allowed  the 
little  boy  to  spend  all  the  time  he  wanted  in  collecting  old 
birds'-nests,  curious  stones,  mosses,  and  other  objects  per- 
taining to  natural  history.  But  after  some  delightful  years, 
his  father,  home  for  a  visit,  made  up  his  mind  that  the  boy 
was  neglecting  his  real  education  to  follow  the  vagaries  of 
inclination.  He  sent  him  away  to  school,  intending  him 
to  do  some  solid  studying,  in  the  hope  that  he  would  dis- 
cover that  his  vocation  was  to  be  a  soldier  under  Napoloai. 

The  boy  worked  faithfully  at  mathematics,  but  he  took 
more  pleasure  in  studying  music, — the  violin,  the  flageolet, 
the  Mute,  the  guitar,  and  in  working  at  drawing  under  the 
great  painter  David.  In  one  year  he  sketched  more  than 
two  hundred  varieties  of  birds  from  life.  Once  he  spent 
practically  three  weeks  lying  on  his  back  under  a  tree, 
watching  with  a  telescope  the  habits  of  some  little  gray 
birds,  the  color  of  the  bark.  His  father  decided  that  such 
a  person  would  hardly  care  for  the  din  and  smoke  of  battle, 
and  so  he  decided  that  the  boy  should  be  sent  to  America 
to  look  after  the  Audubon  property. 

The  life  in  America  began  inauspiciously.  In  New  York 
he  fell  ill  of  yellow  fever,  and  would  have  died  but  for  the 
ministrations  of  two  good  Quaker  ladies,  who  took  him  to 
their  home  at  Morristown  and  nursed  him  back  to  health. 
Then  he  went  to  his  father's  farm  at  Mill  drove  near  the 
Schuylkill  Falls,  Pennsylvania, — a  place  which  he  called  a 
blessed  spot.  Here  he  was  free  to  study  natural  history ; 
he  was  given  no  more  mathematics  to  study ;  he  heard  no 
urging  to  become  a  soldier.  All  day  long,  if  he  liked,  he 
could  listen  to  the  murmur  of  the  mill  or  the  song  of  the 
peewees.  "Hunting,  fishing  and  drawing,"  he  wrote  later, 
"occupied  my  every  moment,  and  cares  I  knew  not,  and 
cared  nothing  for  them."  Here  it  was  that  he  conceived  his 
great  dream,  the  dream  that  took  him  all  his  life  to  realize, 
and  that  made  him  at  last  famous  and  beloved :  the  writing 
of  his  book,  Birds  of  America. 

Life  of  .  I  udubon. 

2.  Oral.  Quite  as  wonderful  as  works  of  magic,  are 
the  accomplishments  of  science  and  of  learning.  What  are 
the  most  wonderful  discoveries  and  inventions  of  modern 


Clearness  in  the  Sentence  51 

times?    If  you  could  make  an  invention  or  discovery,  what 
would  you  wish  to  invent,  or  to  discover  ? 

j.  Suppose  your  wish  to  be  granted,  and  then  write  a 
theme  in  the  first  person  explaining  your  discovery  or  in- 
vention, how  you  made  it,  and  its  results  and  advantages  to 
the  race.  In  writing  this,  decide  what  points  will  be  hardest 
for  your  reader  to  understand,  and  explain  them  with 
especial  care. 

4.  Oral.  Tell  the  story  of  the  early  life  of  a  great 
inventor — Bell,  Morse,  Edison,  Fulton,  Marconi,  Goodyear, 
Watt,  or  any  other.  Decide  what  are  the  most  interesting 
points  in  their  lives — their  early  tastes,  or  the  difficulties 
they  overcame — and  make  those  points  clear  by  giving 
details  about  them. 


SECTION  XIII.     CLEARNESS  IN  THE  SENTENCE 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  the  parts  of  a  sentence 
should  correspond  grammatically,  and  yet  we  often  find  sen- 
tences in  which  the  verb  does  not  agree  with  its  subject,  or 
the  pronoun  with  its  antecedent.  Such  mistakes  are  the 
height  of  carelessness.  See  to  it  always,  when  you  have 
written  a  theme,  that  every  verb  agrees  with  its  subject, 
and  every  pronoun  with  its  antecedent.  This  elementary 
precaution  is  necessary  if  what  you  write  is  to  be  either  clear 
or  grammatical. 

Equally  important  for  clearness  is  the  proper  placing  of 
modifiers.  English  is  a  language  almost  bare  of  inflection. 
The  principal  means  of  showing  that  a  word  modifies  an- 
other is  the  placing  of  it  beside  that  other.  See  to  it,  then, 
that  all  modifiers — words,  phrases,  and  clauses — are  so 
placed  as  to  make  perfectly  clear  which  words  they  modify. 


52  A  First  Year  English  Book 

Exercises 

i.  Turn  to  Section  XII.,  pages  49-50.  Point  out  the  sub- 
ject and  the  predicate  in  each  sentence.  Do  they  agree  in 
person  and  number?  Point  out  pronouns  and  their  ante- 
cedents. Do  they  agree?  Point  oul  all  modifying  words, 
phrases,  and  clauses.  Are  the  modifiers  placed  near  the 
words  they  modify? 

2.     Correct  the  following  sentences: 

1.  If  everyone  were  convinced  of  their  error,  they  would 
still  have  the  task  of  reform. 

2.  No  one  in  the  company  knew  their  own  minds. 

3.  If  anyone  approves  this  plan,  let  them  say  so. 

4.  There  are  none  here  to  gainsay  us. 

5.  You  may  rely  on  every  singer  to  do  their  best. 

6.  Said  John,  looking  up,  "'Here  is  the  cows  at  last." 

7.  We  then  bought  our  tickets.  This  was  a  little  piece 
of  paper,  printed  in  red  and  green,  and  was  good  for  a  ride 
all  around  Rome. 

8.  We  watched  the  big  engine  plowing  through  the  snow, 
its  wheels  covered  with  snow,  and  puffing  up  clouds  of 
smoke  from  her  smokestack. 

9.  It  was  an  odd  phenomena  to  see  the  earth's  crust  so 
split  open. 

10.  He  often  played  at  naval  maneuvers  with  his  brother 
on  the  pond  who  has  since  gone  to  the  naval  academy  at  An- 
napolis in  a  leaky  old  punt. 

11.  I  should  like  to  see  Miss  Smith.  I  have  her  adver- 
tisement here  which  reads,  "Wanted  a  lamp  by  a  young 
lady  with  a  green  shade." 

12.  I  am  going  to  call  from  a  sense  of  duty  on  Mrs.  Mar- 
den,  stopping  to  get  a  book  on  my  way  back,  who  is  a  very 
complaining  woman. 


Clearness  in  the  Sentence  53 

Every  modifier  should,  of  course,  have  something  to  mod- 
ify ;  and  yet  in  the  haste  of  talk,  and  even  of  writing,  mod- 
ifiers are  often  left  with  nothing  to  modify.  This  occurs 
most  often  in  the  case  of  participial  phrases  and  relative 
clauses. 

j.     Turn  to  Section  VI. ,  page  32.     Point  out  all  relative 
clauses  and  state  what  they  modify ;  all  participial  phrases. 
4.     Correct  the  following  sentences : 

1.  Walking  up  and  down  the  main  street,  many  interest- 
ing sights  were  seen. 

2.  Wishing  and  hoping  for  relief,  no  one  discovered  out 
sorry  plight  that  day. 

3.  We  were  busy  that  day,  putting  up  a  sort  of  cabin, 
which  was  a  hard  job  as  we  had  no  hammer. 

4.  Most  people  have  some  superstition  or  other  which  is 
curious  in  these  enlightened  times. 

5.  Going  cautiously  up  the  bay,  shoals  were  found  bar- 
ring further  advance. 

6.  There  was  not  a  footprint  ro  be  found,  which  made  us 
all  the  more  afraid. 

7.  The  dangers  of  mountain  climbing  are  by  no  means 
slight,  which  is  perhaps  one  cause  of  its  popularity. 

Review  of  Rules  for  the  Sentence 

1.  Use  modifying  words,  phrases,  and  clauses  where  nec- 
essary to  express  your  thought  clearly. 

2.  Do  not  write  loose-knit  sentences. 

j.  Use  coordinate  conjunctions  only  between  sentence 
elements  of  equal  rank. 

4.  Every  verb  should  agree  with  its  subject  in  person 
and  number. 

5.  Every  pronoun  should  have  an  antecedent. 


54  A  First  Year  English  Book 

6.  Every  pronoun  should  agree  with  its  antecedent  in 
person  and  number. 

~.  livery  modifier  should  be  SO  placed  as  to  make  per- 
fectly clear  ivhat  it  modifies. 


SECTION    XIV.      PROPORTION    AM)   DETAIL 

THE  WHITE  SHIP 

Henry  I.  of  England,  November  25,  1102. 

By  none  but  me  can  the  tale  be  told, 
The  butcher  of  Rouen,  poor  Berold. 

(Lands  are  swayed  by  a  king  on  a  throne.) 
'Twas  a  royal  train  put  forth  to  sea, 
Yet  the  tale  can  be  told  by  none  but  me. 

(  The  sea  hath  no  Ling  but  Liod  alone.) 

Of  ruthless  strokes  full  many  an  one 

1  [e  had  struck  to  crown  himself  and  his  son; 

And  his  elder  brother's  eyes  were  gone. 

And  when  to  the  chase  his  court  would  crowd, 

The  poor  flung  plowshares  on  his  road, 

And  shrieked:     '"Our  cry  is  from  King  to  God!" 

But  all  the  chiefs  of  the  English  land 
Had  knelt  and  kissed  the  Prince's  hand. 

And  next  with  his  son  he  sailed  to  France 
To  claim  the  Norman  allegiance. 

And  every  baron  in  Normandy 
Had  taken  the  oath  of  fealty. 

*T  was  sworn  and  sealed  and  the  day  had  come 
When  the  King  and  the  Prince  might  journey  home  : 

For  Christmas  cheer  is  to  home  hearts  dear, 
And  Christmas  now  was  drawing  near. 


Proportion  and  Detail  55 

Stout  Fitz-Stephen  came  to  the  King, — 
A  pilot  famous  in  seafaring ; 

And  he  held  to  the  King,  in  all  men's  sight, 
A  mark  of  gold  for  his  tribute's  right. 

"Liege  Lord !  my  father  guided  the  ship 
From  whose  boat  your  father's  foot  did  slip 
When  he  caught  the  English  soil  in  his  grip, 

"And  cried :     'By  this  clasp  I  claim  command 
O'er  every  rood  of  English  land !' 

"He  was  borne  to  the  realm  you  rule  o'er  now 
In  that  ship  with  the  archer  carved  at  her  prow : 

"And  thither  I'll  bear,  an'  it  be  my  due, 
Your  father's  son  and  his  grandson  too. 

"The  famed  White  Ship  is  mine  in  the  bay; 
From  Harfleur's  harbor  she  sails  today, 

"With  masts  fair-pennoned  as  Norman  spears 
And  with  fifty  well-tried  mariners." 

Quoth  the  King:     "My  ships  are  chosen  each  one, 
But  I'll  not  say  nay  to  Stephen's  son. 

"My  son  and  daughter  and  fellowship 
Shall  cross  the  water  in  the  White  Ship." 

The  King  set  sail  with  the  eve's  south  wind, 
And  soon  he  left  that  coast  behind. 

The  Prince  and  all  his,  a  princely  show, 
Remained  in  the  good  White  Ship  to  go. 

With  noble  knights  and  with  ladies  fair, 
With  courtiers  and  sailors  gathered  there, 
Three  hundred  living  souls  we  were : 


56  A  First  Year  English  Book 

And  I   Berold  was  the  meanest  hind 
In  all  that  train  to  the  Prince  assign'd. 

The  Prince  was  a  lawless,  shameless  youth; 

From  his  father's  loins  he  sprang  without  ruth: 

Eighteen  years  till  then  he  had  seen, 
And  the  Devil's  dues  in  him  were  eighteen. 

And  now  he  cried:    "Bring  wine  from  below.; 
Let  the  sailors  revel  ere  yet  they  row; 

ir  speed  shall  o'ertake  my  father's  flight 
Though  we  sail  from  the  harbor  at  midnight." 

rowers  made  good  cheer  without  check; 
The  lords  and  ladies  obeyed  his  beck  ; 
The  night  was  light,  and  they  danced  on  the  deck. 

But  at  midnight's  stroke  they  cleared  the  bay, 

And  the  White  Ship  furrowed  the  water-way. 

The  sails  were  set.  and  the  oars  kept  tune 
To  the  double  flight  of  the  ship  and  the  moon. 

Swifter  and  swifter  the  White  Ship  sped 
Till  she  flew  as  the  spirit  flies  from  the  dead; 

A.S  white  as  a  lily  glimmered  she 
Like  a  ship's  fair  ghost  upon  the  sea. 

And  the  Prince  cried,  "Friends,  't  is  the  hour  to  sing, 
[s  a  song-bird's  course  so  swift  on  the  wing?" 

And  under  the  winter  stars'  still  throng. 

From  brown  throats,  white  throats,  merry  and  strong, 

The  knights  and  the  ladies  raised  a  song. 

A  song, — nay,  a  shriek  that  rent  the  sky. 
That  leaped  o'er  the  deep ! — the  grievous  cry 
Of  three  hundred  living-  that  now  must  die. 


Proportion  and  Detail  57 

An  instant  shriek  that  sprang  to  the  shock 
As  the  ship's  keel  felt  the  sunken  rock. 

Pale  Fitz-Stephen  stood  by  the  helm 

'Mid  all  those  folk  that  the  waves  must  whelm. 

The  ship  was  eager  and  sucked  athirst, 

By  the  stealthy  stab  of  the  sharp  reef  piere'd ; 

And  like  the  moil  round  a  sinking  cup, 
The  waters  against  her  crowded  up. 

A  moment  the  pilot's  senses  spin, — 

The  next  he  snatched  the  Prince  'mid  the  din, 

Cut  the  boat  loose,  and  the  youth  leaped  in. 

A  few  friends  leap  with  him,  standing  near. 
"Row !  the  sea's  smooth  and  the  night  is  clear !" 

"What!  none  to  be  saved  but  these  and  I?" 
"Row,  as  you'd  live !    All  here  must  die !" 

Out  of  the  churn  of  the  choking  ship, 
Which  the  gulf  grapples  and  the  waves  strip. 
They  struck  with  the  strained  oars'  flash  and  dip. 

'T  was  then  o'er  the  slipping  bulwarks'  brim 
The  Prince's  sister  screamed  to  him. 

He  gazed  aloft,  still  rowing  apace, 

And  through  the  whirled  surf  he  knew  her  face. 

To  the  toppling  decks  clave  one  and  all 
As  a  fly  cleaves  to  a  chamber-wall. 

I,  Berold,  was  clinging  anear; 

I  prayed  for  myself  and  quaked  with  fear, 

But  I  saw  his  eyes  as  he  looked  at  her. 

He  knew  her  face  and  he  heard  her  cry, 
And -he  said,  "Put  back!    She  must  not  die!" 


58  A  First  Year  English  Book 

And  back  with  the  current's  force  they  reel 
Like  a  leaf  that's  drawn  to  a  water-wheel. 

'Neath  the  ship's  travail  they  scarce  might  float, 
But  he  rose  and  stood  in  the  rocking  boat. 

Low  the  poor  ship  leaned  on  the  tide : 
O'er  the  naked  keel  as  she  best  might  slide, 
The  sister  toiled  to  the  brother's  side. 

I  [e  reached  an  oar  to  her  from  below, 
And  stiffened  his  arms  to  clutch  her  so. 

But  now  from  the  ship  some  spied  the  boat, 
And  "Saved!"  was  the  cry  from  many  a  throat. 

And  down  to  the  boat  they  leaped  and  fell : 

It  turned  as  a  bucket  turns  in  a  well, 

And  nothing  was  there  but  the  surge  and  swell. 

The  Prince  that  was  and  the  King  to  come, 
There  in  an  instant  gone  to  his  doom, 

Despite  of  all  England's  bended  knee 
And  maugre  the  Norman  fealty! 

He  was  a  Prince  of  lust  and  pride : 

He  showed  no  grace  till  the  hour  he  died. 

When  he  should  be  King,  he  oft  would  vow, 
He'd  yoke  the  peasant  to  his  own  plough. 
O'er  him  the  ships  score  their  furrows  now. 

God  only  knows  where  his  soul  did  wake, 
But  I  saw  him  die  for  his  sister's  sake. 

By  none  but  me  can  the  tale  be  told, 
The  butcher  of  Rouen,  poor  Berold. 

(Lands  arc  swayed  by  a  King  on  a  throne.) 
'T  was  a  royal  train  put  forth  to  sea, 
Yet  the  tale  can  be  told  by  none  but  me. 

(The  sea  hath   no  king  but  God  alone.) 

The    White   Ship,   ROSSETTI. 


Proportion  and  Detail  59 

Exercises 

1.  (  )RAL.  What  are  the  main  incidents  in  this  story?  Who 
was  the  father  of  I  fenry  I.  ?  What  kind  of  men  were  Henry  I. 
and  the  Prince?  By  what  means  had  Henry  I.  gained  the 
crown?  Had  he  committed  these  crimes  for  his  own  sake. 
or  that  his  son  might  become  king?  Why  does  the  poet 
repeal  "The  sea  hath  no  King  but  God  alone"?  Does  the 
poet  tell  the  story  in  such  a  way  that  you  want  to  know  how 
the  King  received  the  news  and  how  Bcrold  was  saved? 
You  can  learn  this  1>\  consulting  Rossetti's  Poems.  Do  you 
forgive  the  prince  his  evil  life  because  of  his  heroic  death? 

2.  Rewrite  this  story  in  your  own  words.  Decide 
which  point  is  the  more  important:  how  a  wicked  king 
was  punished,  or  how  a  wicked  youth  was  yet  capable  of  a 
great  act.  Tr\  to  bring  out  clearly  one  point  or  the  other; 
do  not  try  to  bring  out  both. 

■?.  Oral.  If  possible,  tell  in  your  own  words  one  of  the 
following  accounts  : 

1.  Bradford's  story  of  the  landing  oi  the  pilgrims  at 
Plymouth. 

2.  Napoleon's  retreat  from  Moscow. 

3.  The  burning  of  Moscow. 

4.  The  capture  oi  Quebec. 

5.  The  signing  of  the  Declaration  oi  Independence. 

./.  The  telephone  enables  us  to  hear  sounds  across  a 
continent ;  the  phonograph  enables  us  to  hear  words  spoken 
months  or  years  ago.  Suppose  that  science  could  do  the 
same  thing  for  sights  that  it  has  done  for  sounds,  so  that 
by  going  into  a  room  ami  looking  through  a  glass  one 
could  see  what  is  happening  at   this  moment  at  any  place 


60  A  First  Year  English  Book 

in  the  world;  and  even  more,  could  see  what  happened 
years  or  ages  ago;  what  scenes  in  the  history  of  the  world 
would  you  choose  to  seer 

Write  on  the  one  that  interests  you  most. 

<  >bserve  the  following  directions: 

i.  Try  to  write  the  story  as  if  you  had  seen  it.  Imagine 
how  the  people  moved,  what  they  wore,  and  how  their  faces 
looked. 

2.  Tell  the  story  in  good  proportion  ;  that  is,  give  each 
incident  its  proper  share  of  attention. 

3.  After  you  have  made  your  first  draft,  go  over  the 
work  carefully  and  see  that  your  sentences  are  all  clear. 


SECTIOX   XV.     THE  PARAGRAPH   IX  DIALOGUE 

In  writing  conversation  the  speech  of  each  person,  to- 
gether with  the  words  which  go  with  it,  is  written  as  one 
paragraph.  The  words  of  each  speaker  are  enclosed  in  quo- 
tation marks.     For  example: 

"Good  woman,  why  do  you  weep?"  asked  Arthur,  walking 
towards  her. 

"Hush!"  she  cried,  "or  the  giant  will  hear  you." 

"Why  do  you  weep?"  the  king  repeated. 

"Alas !  because  my  mistress,  the  Duchess  of  Brittany,  is 
dead.     The  giant  has  killed  her." 

At  that  Arthur  gripped  the  handle  of  his  sword,  and  said, 
"I  will  kill  this  wretch  before  I  am  an  hour  older." 

When  a  speech  is  short,  and  at  the  same  time  belongs  to 
the  thought  of  the  preceding  sentences,  it  is  added  to  these 
in  the  same  paragraph.    For  example : 

The  county  was  soon  aware  of  Willoughby's  engagement. 
The   ladies    especially    were    curious    to    see    the    fortunate 


O 


The  Paragraph  in  Dialogue  61 

young  woman  of  his  choice.  When  Mrs.  Mountstuart 
met  him  at  the  hunt,  her  greeting  was  abrupt:  "Let  me 
see  her." 

The  following  is  written  in  what  is  called  dramatic  form ; 
that  is,  there  are  no  quotation  marks  showing  that  someone 
is  speaking ;  the  name  of  the  speaker  is  written  first,  and  is 
followed  by  a  period,  and  if  there  is  any  comment  on  how 
he  spoke  and  acted,  it  is  inserted  in  parenthesis.  This  is  the 
way  in  which  plays  are  written. 

Giuseppe.  They  say  you  are  careful  of  every  thing  ex- 
cept human  life,  excellency. 

Napoleon.  Human  life,  my  friend,  is  the  only  thing  that 
takes  care  of  itself.  (He  throws  himself  at  ease  on  the 
couch.) 

Giuseppe  (admiring  him).  Ah,  excellency,  what  fools 
we  all  are  beside  you !  If  I  could  only  find  out  the  secret  of 
your  success ! 

Napoleon.  You  would  make  yourself  Emperor  of  Italy, 
eh? 

Giuseppe.  Too  troublesome,  excellency.  I  leave  all  that 
to  you.  Besides,  what  would  become  of  my  inn  if  I  were 
Emperor?  See  how  you  enjoy  looking  at  me  whilst  I  keep 
the  inn  for  you  and  wait  on  you !  Well,  I  enjoy  looking  at 
you  whilst  you  become  Emperor  of  Europe  and  govern  the 
country  for  me.  (Whilst  he  chatters,  he  takes  the  cloth  off 
without  removing  the  mat  and  inkstand,  and  takes  the  cor- 
ners in  his  liands  and  the  middle  of  the  edge  in  his  mouth  to 
fold  it  up.) 

The  Man  of  Destiny,  George  Bernard  Shaw. 

Exercises 

/.  Rewrite  the  following  selection;  paragraph  the  con- 
versation properly : 


62  A  First  Year  English  Book 

I    was    still    arguing    it    back    and    forth    and    getting 
no  great  clearness,  when  I  came  into  the  round-house  and 
saw  the  Jacobite  eating  his  supper  under  the  lamp ;  and  at 
that  my  mind  was  made  up  all  in  a  moment.     I  have  no 
credit  by  me ;  it  was  by  no  choice  of  mine,  but  as  if  by  com- 
pulsion, that   I   walked   right  up   to  the  table   and  put  my 
hand  on  his  shoulder.     Do  you  want  to  be  killed?  said   I. 
He  sprang  to  his  feet  and  looked  a  question  at  me  as  clear 
as  if  he   had  spoken.     Oh!  cried   I,  they're   all   murderers 
here;  it's  a  ship   full  of  them!     They've  murdered  a   boy 
already,  now   it's  you.     Ay,   ay,   said   he;  but  they  haven't 
got  me  yet     And  then   looking  at  me  curiously,  Will  ye 
stand  with  me?     That  will   I!  said  I.     I  am  no  thief  nor 
yet    murderer.     I'll    stand    by    you.     Why,    then,    said    he. 
what's  your  name?     David  Balfour,  said  I;  and  then  think- 
ing that  a  man  with  so  fine  a  coat  must  like  tine  people,  I 
added  for  the  first  time  of  Shaws.     It  never  occurred  to 
him   to  doubt  me,   for  a   Highlander   is  used  to   see  great 
gentlefolk  in  great  poverty  ;  but  as  he  had  no  estate  of  his 
own,  my  words  nettled  a  very  childish  vanity  he  had.     My 
name  is  Stewart,  he  said,  drawing  himself  up.     Alan  Breck, 
they   call    me.     A   king's   name   is    good    enough    for    me, 
though    I   bear   it   plain   and   have   the   name  of  no    farm 
midden  to  clap  to  the  hind-end  of  it.     And  having  admin- 
istered this  rebuke  as  though  it  were  something  of  a  chief 
importance,  he  turned  to  examine  our  defenses.    The  round- 
house was  built  strong,  to   support   the  breaching*  of  the 
seas.     Of  its  five  apertures,  only  the  skylight  and  the  two 
doors  were  large  enough  for  the  passage  of  a  man.     The 
doors,  besides,  could  be  drawn  close;  they  were  of  stout 
oak,  and   ran   in   grooves,  and  were  fitted   with  hooks   to 
keep  them  either  shut  or   open,  as   the   need  arose.     The 
one  that  was  already  shut  I  secured  in  this  fashion ;  but 
when  I  was  proceeding  to  slide  to  the  other,  Alan  stopped 
me.     David,  said  he.  for  I  cannot  bring  to  mind  the  name 
of  your  landed  estate,  and  so  will  make  so  bold  as  to  call 
you  David — that  door,  being  open,  is  the  best  part  of  my 
defenses.     It   would   be   yet  better   shut    says   I.     Xot   so, 
David,  says  he.     Ye  see.  I  have  but  one  face ;  but  so  long 
as  that  door  is  open  and  my  face  to  it,  the  best  part  of  my 


The  Paragraph  in  Dialogue  63 

enemies  will  be  in  front  of  me,  where  I   would  aye  wish 
to  find  them. 

2.  Rewrite  the  following  story,  putting  into  dialogue 
form  the  parts  printed  in  italics.  Introduce  descriptive 
details  where  they  are  necessary  to  make  us  see  the  speakers 
clearly : 

A  beautiful  damsel  named  Lynette  came  to  King 
Arthur's  court,  and  told  him  that  her  sister,  Lyonors,  was 
kept  a  prisoner  in  her  castle  Perilous.  A  river  circled  three 
times  around  the  castle,  and  across  the  three  passing-places, 
three  brother  knights  kept  guard.  The  damsel  Lynette 
asked  for  a  knight  zuho  would  rescue  her  sister  from  these 
men  who  wanted  her  to  marry  one  of  them  that  they  might 
have  her  great  wealth.  Gareth,  a  knight  zvho  zvas  serving 
in  disguise  as  a  kitchen-boy,  asked  that  the  adventure  be 
given  to  him.  The  king  agreed,  but  Lynette,  who  zvas  very 
angry,  cried  out  on  Arthur  and  hurried  from  the  court. 

Gareth,  putting  on  armor,  and  mounting  a  horse,  fol- 
lowed her,  and  catching  up  to  her,  told  her  to  lead,  and 
he  would  follow.  But  she  ordered  him  to  go  back,  saying 
that  she  smelt  kitchen  grease.  Nevertheless  he  followed 
her,  and  after  a  time  they  approached  the  first  circle  of  the 
river.  Lynette  told  Gareth  that  he  had  better  return  as 
he  -would  be  overthrown,  but  lie  refused  to  give  up  the 
adventure.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river  was  a  silk- 
draped  pavilion  in  front  of  which  passed  a  tall  warrior 
without  armor.  Lynette  cailed  to  him  that  Arthur  so 
despised  him  that  he  was  sending  a  kitchen  knave  to  fight 
with  him.  While  the  knight  put  on  his  armor,  Lynette 
asked  Gareth  if  he  zcere  afraid.  He  said  no,  and  that  he 
would  rather  tight  with  twenty  men  than  hear  her  unkind 
words. 

The  warrior  rode  forth  and  taunted  him,  and  Gareth, 
answering,  rode  at  him  fiercely,  and  soon  overthrew  him 
and  sent  him  back  to  Arthur's  court.  As  they  rode  on, 
Lynette,  smiling,  said  that  she  did  not  smell  the  kitchen 
grease  so  much  as  she  had.  When  they  reached  the  second 
circle  of  the  river  she  again   bade  Gareth  go  back,  since 


64  - 1  First  Year  English  Book 

a  kitchen  knave  should  not  fight  with  knights,  and  when 

he  would  not  return,  she  called  to  the  second  knight  that 
she  was  bringing  a  kitchen-boy  who  had  overthrown  his 
brother.  The  warrior  shouted,  and  rode  fiercely  at  ( iareth. 
It  was  a  long  time  before  Gareth  overthrew  him,  and  sent 
him  back  to  King  Arthur's  court.  As  Gareth  rode  on, 
following  Lynette,  she  looked  back  and  said  the  ivarrior's 
horse  hod  slipped  or  Gareth  could  never  have  been  the 
victor,  but  that  he  could  not  overthrow  the  third  warrior, 
who  was  by  far  the  greatest  of  the  three  brothers. 

When  they  reached  the  third  warrior,  a  huge  man,  he 
rode  forward  fiercely,  and  for  a  long  time  he  and  Gareth 
fought,  (iareth  grew  very  tired,  and  began  to  fear  that 
he  should  be  conquered.  But  when  his  strokes  were  be- 
coming feeble,  Lynette  called  out  that  he  was  doing  bravely, 
that  he  was  not  a  kitcheu-knare,  but  a  noble  lord,  the 
greatest  she  knew.  This  so  encouraged  (iareth  that  he  con- 
quered the  knight,  'I  hen  //('  turned  to  Lynette.  telling  her 
to  lead  that  he  might  follow.  But  she  replied  that  they 
must  HOW  ride  side  by  side,  and  that  she  was  sorry  she  had 
treated  him  unkindly.  Then  they  rode  on  together  to  the 
castle  ^i  1  .yonors. 

y.  Choose  one  incident  in  the  story  of  Robin  Hood  and 
write  it  out  in  dramatic  form.  The  scene  should  be  one 
which  would  "act"  well ;  that  is,  something  interesting  should 
happen,  which  could  be  "acted  out"  on  a  stage. 

4.  Write  out  in  dramatic  form  some  incident  from  real 
life,  such  as  "The  Last  Fifteen  Minutes  Before  Our  Foot- 
ball Team  Goes  Into  Play";  "Catching  the  8:05  Train"; 
"A  Rehearsal  for  the  School  Entertainment." 

5.  Rewrite  the  paragraph  on  page  124.  beginning  "He 
then  led  me."     Paragraph  the  conversation  properly. 


PART  II 

TELLING  YOUR  OWN  EXPERIENCES 
SECTION  I.    FINDING  AN  INTERESTING  SUBJECT 

We  now  come  to  the  second  large  source  of  material — 
your  own  experience.  Something  is  always  happening  to 
you,  your  senses  are  always  reporting  to  you  from  the  out- 
side world,  and  you  are  always  thinking  about  these  intel- 
ligences. So  the  difficulty  here  is  that  there  is  so  much  to  \ 
choose  from. 

The  best  way  is  to  choose  what  interests  you  more  than  f 
anything  else.     Perhaps  today  it  is  the  game  of  ball  to  be 
played  tomorrow,  or  the  party  you  attended  last  night.     Or 
possibly  you  want  to  know  how  the  serial  story  is  coming 
out  that  you  are  reading  in  a  magazine.     Whatever  it  may  '• 
be,  the  subject  you  are  thinking  most  about  today  is  the  one  I 
you  can  write  about  best. 

Exercises 

/.     Make  a  list  of  ten  subjects  in  which  you  are  inter- 
ested. 

2.     What  subjects  in  the  following  list  interest  you? 

i.  The  Boy  Next  Door. 

2.  My  Brother's  Pony. 

3.  My  Favorite  Book. 

4.  How  to  Make  a  Canoe. 

5.  Our  Summer  Cottage. 

6.  How  to  Elect  a  Mayor. 

65 


56  A  First  Year  English  Book 

7.  My  New  Fishing-Rod  Pole. 

8.  How  to  Make  a  Paper  Hat. 

9.  Learning  to  Swim. 

10.  A  New  Picture. 

11.  Why  I  Like  Alan  Breck  Stewart. 

12.  My  Favorite  Historical  Character. 

13.  A  Day  with  Huckleberry  Finn 

14.  Abraham  Lincoln. 

[5.  Making  a  Summer  Camp. 

10.  How  1  Used  to  Get  the  <  tysters  for  Breakfast 

17.  Our  Swimming  Pond. 

18.  My  First  Diary. 

19.  The  Advantage  of  1  laving  an  Allowance 

20.  How  to  Preserve  Rose  Leaves. 

21.  Making  Raspbeiry  Vinegar. 

22.  When  I  Go  to  Europe. 
2$.  My  Row  Boat. 

24.  Robert  E.  Lee. 

25.  A  Straw  Ride. 

26.  A  Surprise  Party. 

27.  My  Birthday  Experiences. 

28.  My  Adventure  in  the  (  Md  House. 

29.  Digging  for  Treasure. 

30.  How  to  Draw  a  Map  of  North  America 

31.  What  I  Found  in  an  (  )ld  Trunk. 

32.  Starved   Rock. 

2,2,-  In  a  Haying  Field. 

34.  A  Country  Store. 

35.  How  the  Streets  arc  Cleaned. 

36.  Washing  Day. 

37.  The  Captain's  Barometer. 

38.  The  Story  of  My  Uncle's  Sword. 

39.  The  Madonna  of  the  Chair. 

40.  The  Fire  Next  Door. 

41.  A  Pair  of  Twins. 

42.  Sailing  a  Boat. 

43.  Making  Dried  Apples. 

44.  Our  Railroad  Station. 

45.  The  Keeper  of  Our  Post-Office, 

46.  Making  a  Garden. 

47.  How  I  Earned  Mv  First  Money. 


Making  the  Subject  Definite  67 

48.  How  We  Organized  Our  Base-Ball  Team. 

49.  What  I  Would  Do  with  a  Thousand  Dollars. 

50.  The  Trained  Dog. 

j.  Make  a  list  of  five  subjects  that  you  talk  about  during 
the  rest  of  the  day. 

./.  Make  a  list  of  four  subjects  that  you  have  heard 
your  fellow  students  talk  of  lately. 

5.  Make  a  list  of  your  favorite  heroes  and  heroines  in 
fiction. 

6.  Make  a  list  of  your  favorite  heroes  and  heroines  in 
history. 

7.  Make  a  list  of  three  subjects  that  you  hear  discussed 
by  your  parents  or  teachers. 

8.  Make  a  list  of  ten  subjects  about  which  you  know 
most. 


SECTION  II.     MAKING  THE  SUBJECT  DEFINITE 

You  must  have  noticed  in  the  lists  of  subjects  you  have 
made  that  you  have  put  down  some  general  subjects,  such  as 
"Fishing,"  or  "Books,"  or  "Sewing."  You  probably  will 
not  have  included  any  such  subject  as  "Ambition,"  or  "Du- 
plicity," for  very  few  people  take  any  real  interest  in  such 
abstract  and  general  topics.  If  you  should  try  to  write 
about  such  subjects  as  "Automobiles,"  "Novels,"  "Sewing," 
"Longfellow's  Works,"  you  would  soon  find  yourself  in 
difficulties.  It  is  hard  to  begin  such  a  subject ;  there  is  no 
handle  to  take  it  up  by.  But  you  could  write  about  "My 
Cousin's  Automobile,"  "My  Favorite  Novel,"  "How  to  Make 
a  Hemstitched  Handkerchief,"  "Longfellow's  The  Skeleton 
in  Armor." 

The  examples  given  above  show  that  you  may  take  a 
large  subject  and  limit  it  until  you  are  able  to  handle  it. 


68  A  First  Year  English  Book- 

You  may  begin  with  such  a  subject  as  "Books,"  and  narrow 
it  first  to  "English  Books  of  Fiction,"  then  to  "English 
Novels,"  and  lastly  to  Silas  Marner.  Or  "Sports"  may 
become  "Outdoor  Sports";  "Football";  "How  to  Play  Half- 
back." It.  then,  you  are  to  write  about  something  which 
will  interesl  you  and  your  reader,  you  must  choose  a  definite 
subject  fully  within  your  power  of  handling. 

Exercises 

/.     Narrow  the  following  subjects: 

Flections.  Photography. 

The  Kings  of  England.  Ocean  Steamers. 

Storms.  Colonial  Customs. 

Summer  Vacations.  Cod  Fisheries. 

Horses.  Reading. 

Christianity.  Authors. 

2.  Make  a  list  of  five  definite  subjects  about  fishing, 
sewing,  or  cooking. 

,\     Look  at  the  pictures  opposite  pages  80,  too,  and  120, 

and  make  a  list  of  three  small  and  definite  subjects  about 
each. 

./.  Oral.  Note  in  the  picture  of  the  pilgrims  going  to 
church,  opposite  page  180,  the  appearance  of  the  landscape. 
What  effect  does  it  have?  Why  do  the  pilgrims  choose  the 
particular  order  in  which  they  walk?  What  expressions  do 
the  faces  of  the  men  and  women  wear?  Of  what  are  they 
probably  thinking?  Note  their  clothes.  Note  the  way  in 
which  the  men  carry  their  weapons.  Whose  face  do  you 
like  best?    Whose  face  do  you  like  least? 

5.  (  )ral.  Answer  similar  questions  on  Columbus  at 
the  Court  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  opposite  page  140. 


The  Notes  69 

SECTION  III.     THE  NOTES 

One  reason  why  you  find  it  difficult  to  write  is  that  you 
see  things  and  hear  things  without  noting  them  carefully, 
so  that  when  you  want  to  put  them  in  a  composition  you 
have  forgotten  most  of  what  you  saw  and  heard.  The  best 
way  of  remembering  is  to  make  notes  of  your  experiences. 
Indeed,  the  very  act  of  making  notes  fixes  your  attention, 
so  that  you  will  see  more  than  you  have  ever  seen  before, 
record  more  accurately,  and  remember  more  vividly. 
Charles  Dickens  said  that  when  he  went  into  a  room  he 
always  remembered  everything  that  was  in  it,  even  if  he 
were  there  only  for  a  moment.  But  very  few  people  have 
such  a  memory  as  that ;  and  certainly  most  of  our  great 
writers,  such  as  Hawthorne  and  Stevenson,  have  filled  note- 
books with  accounts  of  what  they  saw  and  heard  in  their 
everyday  life. 

You  can  do  no  better  than  follow  in  their  steps.  In  taking 
notes,  write  your  impressions  down  just  as  they  occur  to 
you.  The  first  necessity  is  to  get  everything  down ;  you 
can  arrange  afterwards.  Write  not  only  what  you  see,  but 
also  any  reflections  that  come  to  you.  For  instance,  you 
may  be  walking  in  the  rain  in  the  spring,  and  seeing  the 
young  growing  things,  you  say,  "I  believe  things  in  the 
spring  have  a  great  deal  of  curiosity ;  they  are  stretching  up 
to  see  what  the  rain  is."  That  is  certainly  worth  writing 
down.  Or  you  may  notice  that  when  the  old  postman  smiles, 
his  mouth  goes  up  at  one  side.  Then  you  may  begin  to  ask 
vourself  what  gives  the  peculiar  effect  to  the  smiles  of  dif- 
ferent people.  So  you  will  find  yourself  observing  and 
remembering  more  accurately  than  ever  before. 

The  following  selection  is  from  Whitman's  Memoranda 
of  the  War: 


/O  ./  First  Year  English  Book 

I  am  writing  this,  nearly  sundown,  watching  a  cav- 
alry company  (acting  Signal  service),  jusl  come  in 
through  a  shower,  making  their  night's  camp  ready  on 
some  broad,  vacant  ground,  a  sort  of  hill,  in  full  view 
opposite  my  window.  There  are  the  nun  in  their  yellow  - 
striped  jackets.  All  are  dismounted;  the  freed  horses 
stand  with  drooping  heads  and  wet  sides ;  they  are  to  be 
led  off  presently  in  groups,  to  water.  The  little  wall- 
tents  and  shelter  tents  spring*  up  quickly.  1  see  the  fires 
already  blazing,  and  pots  and  kettles  over  them.  Some 
among  the  men  are  driving  in  tent-poles,  wielding  their 
axes  with  strong,  slow  blows.  I  see  great  huddles  of 
horses,  bundles  of  hay,  groups  of  men  (some  with  un- 
buckled sabers  yet  on  their  sides),  a  few  officers,  piles  of 
wood,  the  Barnes  of  the  tires,  saddles,  harness,  etc.  The 
smoke  streams  upward,  additional  men  arrive  and  dismount 
— some  drive  in  stakes  and  tie  their  horses  to  them;  some 
go  with  buckets  for  water,  some  are  chopping  wood,  and 
so  on. 

litre  Whitman  leaves  you  in  no  doubt  as  to  the  time  of 
day,  the  weather,  where  he  is  and  where  the  company  is. 
He  gives  you  a  general  view  of  the  groups  of  men.  animals 
and  objects.  Then  he  particularizes  :  the  men  are  in  '"yel- 
low-striped jackets;"  the  horses  stand  with  "drooping  heads 
and  wet  sides;"  the  men  drive  their  axes  with  "strong,  slow 
blows."  He  gives  you  a  vivid  picture  because  he  has 
observed  accuratelv. 


Exercises 

i.  Stand  on  a  bridge,  look  up  and  down  the  stream, 
and  take  notes  of  what  you  see. 

2.     Make  notes  on  the  view  from  your  room. 

j.  Make  notes  of  what  you  see  in  the  picture  opposite 
page  80. 

4.     Make  notes  on  the  oddest-looking  person  you  know 


The  Notes  71 

5.  Make  notes  of  the  most  interesting  street  scene  you 
watched  today. 

6.  Alake  notes  on  a  conversation  you  heard  on  the  play- 
ground or  the  street. 

7.  Make  notes,  as  you  have  opportunity,  on  a  picnic,  a 
church  bazaar,  a  street  procession,  a  sky-scraper  in  process 
of  erection,  a  football  game,  a  boat-race,  a  skating  scene,  a 
street  fair,  a  visit  to  the  zoological  gardens,  or  to  a  museum 
of  natural  history.  Bring  the  notes  to  class  for  report  and 
discussion. 

8.  From  the  notes  you  have  made,  choose  the  subject 
in  which  you  are  most  interested,  and  write  it  out  in  con- 
nected form.  You  will  doubtless  find  it  necessary  to  change 
the  order  of  your  notes  in  order  to  make  your  theme  clear 
and  straightforward. 

p.  Let  the  teacher  show  the  class  a  picture  for  a  few 
moments,  and  then  let  the  class  describe  it  as  fully  as  pos- 
sible. 

10.  Let  the  class  look  at  a  view  and  then  describe  it  min- 
utely. 

//.  Let  the  teacher  read  to  the  class  some  passages  of 
interesting  information  ;  let  them  make  brief  notes,  and  then 
give  as  full  and  accurate  an  account  of  the  matter  as  they 
can. 

12.  Change  the  following  to  simple  sentences  by  using 
participles  or  infinitives  wherever  you  can. 

1.  The  frogs  became  tired  of  the  rule  of  King  Log  and 
they  desired  a  new  king. 

2.  He  was  wearied  by  their  importunities  and  he 
granted  their  request. 

3.  When  they  received  their  new  king  they  regretted 
the  change. 

4.  They  wanted  a  change  in  order  that  they  might  have 
excitement. 


~2  A  hirst  Year  English  Book 

5.  The  new  king  gave  them  more  than  they  wished ;  he 
ate  a  dozen  frogs  every  morning  for  breakfast. 

6.  They  arrived  at  the  station ;  they  found  that  the  train 
had  gone. 

7.  lie  crossed  the  bridge;  he  peered  cautiously  through 
the  bushes ;  there  he  beheld  Robin  Hood  and  his  merry  men. 

8.  Gareth  went  to  the  king's  court;  his  purpose  was  to 
be  sent  on  a  quest  and  gain  great  glory. 

9.  When  he  reached  the  court,  he  was  assigned  to  menial 
service  in  the  king's  kitchen. 

10.  The  man  who  is  brave  is  the  man  who  wins. 

11.  He  put  on  his  armor;  he  mounted  his  horse,  and  he 
rode  swiftly  after  the  scornful  lady,  Lynette. 

1  j.  When  he  was  confronted  by  the  two  black  knights 
he  did  not  lose  hope  for  an  instant. 

SECTION  IV.     UNITY 

So  far,  you  have  learned  to  find  material,  to  choose  what 
you  want  of  it,  to  see  for  yourself,  to  use  your  imagination, 
and  to  find  subjects  in  books  and  papers. 

You  now  come  to  closer  quarters  with  the  problem  of  how 
best  to  plan  and  tell  what  you  have  to  say.  All  writing  is  an 
attempt  to  express  your  thought;  it  goes  without  saying  that 
you  cannot  write  if  you  cannot  think.  The  first  requisite  is 
to  have  clearly  in  mind  just  what  you  want  to  bring  out  in 
your  writing.  The  next  requirement  is  to  stick  to  your 
point ;  not  to  put  in  what  does  not  concern  it,  and  to  include 
what  does  concern  it.  This  may  seem  to  you  simple  advice, 
hut  how  many  people  actually  follow  it  ? 

If  you  listen  carefully  to  the  average  person  who  tries  to 
tell  a  story,  you  will  notice  that  he  does  not  go  straight  for- 
ward, dealing  with  one  subject  and  one  only.  He  drags  in 
details  which  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  subject. 


Unity  73 

Your  composition,  tbow,  should  deal  with  one  subject.  \  If 
it  does,  it  will  be  possible  to  find  a  title  which  will  name  or 
suggest  the  main  theme — which  will  hit  the  center  of  the 
subject.  The  title  will  serve  as  a  test,  i  If  your  composition 
treats^  of  but  one  subject,  you  can  find  a  title  which  will 
state  itff  if  you  have  treated  more  than  one  subject,  you 
cannorrind  a  title  which  will  accurately  name  your  com- 
position. 

Exercises 

/.  Write  the  story  of  some  interesting  incident  in  your 
life.    The  following  subjects  may  be  suggestive: 

i.     My  First  Day  in  School. 

2.  A  Tragedy  in  the  Oak  Tree. 

3.  My  First  Visit  to  the  Theater. 

4.  My  First  Experience  with  a  Bicycle. 

5.  Camping  by Lake. 

6.  How  I  Learned  to  Ride  a  Broncho. 

7.  My  First  Experience  in  Cooking. 

8.  My  Visit  to  New  York,  Washington,  Chicago. 

9.  How  I  Trained  a  Dog  (or  some  other  animal). 

10.  Going  to  the  Circus. 

11.  The  Unloading  of  the  Circus. 

12.  A  Runaway. 

13.  A  Big  Fire. 

14.  My  First  Experience  with  an  Automobile. 

Rrview  of  Rules  for  Writing 

In  writing  your  composition,  observe  the  following  direc- 
tions : 

1.  Choose  something  that  has  really  happened  to  your- 
self. 


74  -'  First  Year  English  Book 

2.  Choose  a  title  which  names  the  main  interest  of  your 
story. 

3.  Throughout  your  writing,  keep  your  mind  fixed  on 
your  main  idea;  see  that  you  stick  to  the  subject. 

4.  After  you  have  made  your  first  draft,  go  over  it 
carefully  to  see  that  it  contains  nothing  which  should  be 
omitted. 

5.  Be  sure  that  each  sentence  begins  with  a  capital  let- 
ter and  ends  with  a  period. 

Exercises 

Make  these  sentences  either  simple  or  complex  by  sub 
ordinating  some  statements: 

1.  It  was  already  hard  upon  October;  1  was  read}  to 
set  forth;  my  road  led  over  high  altitudes;  there  was  no 
Indian  summer  to  be  looked  for. 

2.  1  was  determined  to  camp  out ;  I  did  nut  wish  to  be 
obliged  always  to  reach  the  shelter  of  an  inn  by  dusk. 

3.  Now.  a  tent  is  troublesome  tu  pitch;  it  is  especiall)  so 
for  a  solitary  traveler. 

4.  I  thought  the  matter  over  ;  I  decided  on  a  sleeping- 
sack  ;  this  has  many  advantages. 

5.  It  serves  a  double  purpose  ;  it  is  a  bed  by  night;  it  is  a 
portmanteau  by  day  ;  it  does  not  advertise  your  intention  of 
camping  out  to  every  curious  passer-by.  This  is  a  high 
point. 

6.  I  could  not  carry  all  my  baggage  on  my  shoulders;  I 
must  choose  a  beast  of  burden. 

7.  The  path  became  gradually  fainter,  and  it  disappeared 
at  length  in  a  tangle  of  thorns  and  bushes. 

8.  The  sun  was  setting  and  we  descried  on  our  right  the 
steep  roofs  of  an  old  castle ;  it  stood  among  lofty  crags. 

9.  Goldsmith   spent  two  years   roving  about   the  conti- 


Unity  75 

nent;  he  said  he  was  pursuing"  novelty  and  losing  content; 
then  he  landed  at  Dover  early  in  1756. 

10.  You  may  easily  imagine  what  difficulties  he  had  to 
encounter;  he  was  left  without  friends,  recommendations, 
or  money. 

11.  At  length  we  find  him  launched  in  the  great  metrop- 
olis ;  he  was  drifting  about  the  streets ;  it  was  in  the  gloomy 
month  of  February ;  he  had  but  a  few  half-pence  in  his 
pocket. 

Even  when  you  are  thinking  primarily  of  your  subject, 
you  are  liable  to  include  something  which  does  not  belong 
to  it.  It  is,  therefore,  necessary  to  be  definitely  on  your 
guard  against  this  fault.  The  following  composition  relat- 
ing a  true  experience  has  this  fault : 

MY  EXPERIENCE  WITH  A  BURGLAR 

(1)  It  was  so  hot  the  night  of  my  birthday,  July  the 
tenth,  that  I  could  not  sleep,  and  kept  tossing  and  turning 
on  my  pillows.  (2)  I  suppose  I  was  excited,  too,  by  some 
unexpected  presents  I  had  received  after  supper.  (3)  The 
doorbell  rang  at  eight  o'clock,  and  the  expressman  brought 
a  silver  watch  from  cousin  Alice,  and  a  set  of  carpenter's 
tools  from  great  uncle  Henry.  (4)  I  can  tell  you  I  felt 
proud  thinking  how  I'd  show  them  to  the  boys  next  day. 

(5)  I  am  the  only  boy  around  who  has  carpenter's  tools. 

(6)  I  was  so  uncomfortable  in  my  own  bed  that  I  thought 
I  would  go  to  the  spare  room,  which  is  over  the  side  porch. 

(7)  It  felt  good  to  slip  between  the  cool  sheets,  and  I  soon 
began  to  doze.  (8)  Mother  hardly  ever  lets  me  sleep  in 
the  spare  room.  (9)  Pretty  soon  I  heard  a  little  click  and 
a  scraping  sound.  (10)  I  don't  know  why  they  made  me 
wide  awake,  but  they  did,  and  I  sat  up  and  listened.  (11) 
The  sound  came  again,  and  I  knew  it  was  from  the  porch. 
(12)  Then  I  knew  that  somebody  was  gently  raising  the 
window  higher.     (13)   Perhaps  if  I  hadn't  been  so  fright- 


y6  A  First  Year  English  Book 

ened  1  might  have  made  for  the  door.  (14)  My  sister 
always  runs  when  she  is  afraid.  (15)  But  then  maybe  I 
should  have  been  shot  at.  (16)  Anyway,  what  I  did  was 
to  slip  gently  between  the  sheets  again  and  pretend  to  go 
to  sleep.  (17)  But  while  I  was  taking  long  breaths,  I 
was  thinking.  (18)  The  burglar  would  probably  see  me, 
but  if  he  did  not,  he  would  go  out  of  the  door  down  the 
passage  to  Father's  room.  (19)  If  he  did  that,  I  should 
slip  into  the  closet  which  has  another  door  opening  on  the 
back  hall,  and  I  should  then  go  to  John's  room.  (20)  John, 
who  drives  our  horses,  is  very  strong,  and  I  know  he  could 
knock  down  any  burglar.  (21)  When  he  was  young  he 
gave  his  brother  a  slap  in  fun  and  knocked  him  senseless, 
and  that  was  when  he  found  out  how  strong  he  was.  (22) 
It  seemed  about  a  week  before  the  burglar  finally  stepped 
inside  the  room.  (23)  The  first  thing  he  did  was  to  come 
to  the  bed  and  flash  a  light  on  my  face.  (24)  I  went  on 
breathing  deeply,  though  it  seemed  about  a  week  before 
he  moved  away.  (25)  I  heard  him  at  the  bureau  and  the 
closet,  but  I  knew  he  wouldn't  find  anything,  unless  it  was 
the  door.  (26)  Mother  never  keeps  anything  of  value  in 
the  spare  room.  (27)  I  have  an  aunt,  though,  who  keeps 
the  silver  between  the  sheets  of  her  spare  bed.  (28)  After 
a  while,  I  heard  him  opening  the  bedroom  door,  and  when 
I  had  given  him  time  enough,  I  slipped  out  of  bed  and 
into  the  closet,  pulled  open  the  door,  and  just  flew  through 
the  hall  and  down  the  stairs  into  John's  room.  (29)  It 
took  a  little  time  to  waken  John,  and  a  little  more  to  show 
him  I  wasn't  just  trying  to  scare  him.  (30)  But  when  we 
got  up  stairs,  I  was  disgusted  to  find  that  the  burglar  was 
nowhere  to  be  seen.  (31)  But  the  open  window  and  the 
marks  on  the  roof  of  the  porch  showed  that  there  really 
had  been  one.  (32)  So  that  was  the  end  of  my  first  and 
last  experience  with  a  burglar. 

Observe  the  following  points : 

1.  The  subject  of  this  composition  is  the  experience  with 
the  burglar.  The  writer  must  decide  what  to  put  in  and 
what  to  leave  out  according  to  this  subject. 


Unity  jj 

2.  The  writer  begins  well  by  explaining  the  reason  why 
he  slept  in  the  room  which  the  burglar  entered.  But  when 
he  tries  to  tell  part  of  the  reason  why  he  was  not  sleepy, 
he  does  not  stick  to  the  subject.  Sentence  2  is  on  the  point, 
but  sentences  3,  4,  and  5  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  burglar. 
Every  sentence  which  does  not  in  some  way  concern  the 
main  incident  should  be  omitted.  Of  the  three  sentences, 
5  is  farthest  off  the  point.  Sentences  8,  14,  21,  and  27  have 
nothing  to  do  with  the  story.  Sentence  26  should  be 
omitted. 

All  these  irrelevant  sentences  are  connected  with  the  boy's 
experience;  they  mean  something  to  him,  and  that  is  why 
they  slipped  into  the  story  almost  in  spite  of  him.  But  the 
writer  should  always  remember  that  nothing  must  be  used  in 
a  composition  which  does  not  bear  on  the  main  point ;  that 
is,  he  must  stick  to  his  subject. 

Criticize  the  following  selections  with  these  questions  and 
suggestions  in  mind : 

1.  What  do  you  think  should  be  the  title  of  each? 

2.  How  many  subjects  does  each  contain,  and  what  are 
these? 

3.  Can  you  find  instances  in  which  something  should  be 
added  to  make  the  subject  clear? 

4.  Strike  out,  where  you  can,  irrelevant  sentences. 

MY  CHICKENS 

I  always  wanted  to  keep  chickens,  and  at  last  Father 
said  I  might.  He  bought  me  four  Plymouth  Rock  hens 
and  four  settings  of  eggs.  I  put  them  in  the  old  hen 
house.  Father  had  let  Michael  Ray  paint  it  gray.  While 
he  painted  it,  I  watched  him,  and  he  told  me  stories.  He 
doesn't  tell  such  interesting  stories  as  Father,  but  he  meant 
well.  Father  said  the  chickens  wouldn't  come  out  for  three 
weeks,  but  I  used  to  look  at  them  every  day,  just  in  case 


y8  A  First  Year  English  Book 

these  should  be  quicker.  At  last  one  morning  when  I 
went  to  the  hen-house  I  could  hear  little  peepings.  And 
there  were  some  chickens  out,  and  others  half  out.  The 
hen  and  I  helped  those  which  were  inside  their  shells  to 
get  out.  When  chickens  first  get  out  they  seem  damp  and 
tired.  I  felt  like  drying  them  with  my  handkerchief,  but 
the  hen  looked  a  little  cross,  so  I  didn't.  They  were  very 
pretty  little  things,  and  for  two  or  three  days  I  spent  a 
good  deal  of  time  with  them.  Some  of  my  time  I  spent  in 
reading  and  in  studying  French.  Then  I  used  to  practice 
duets  with  Amy  Roberts.  She  lives  in  the  house  next  to 
ours.  As  my  chickens  grew  up,  I  was  fonder  and  fonder 
of  them.  I  had  names  for  them  all.  I  called  a  bald  one 
"Truth."  and  the  lazy  one  "Dickens'  Fat  Boy,"  and  the 
thin  one  "Ichabod  Crane."  But  I  noticed  that  when  I 
called  one  they  all  came  running.  I  tried  to  teach  them 
tricks,  but  I  think  chickens  must  be  stupid,  for  they  wouldn't 
learn.  Now,  our  dog  learned  tricks  very  easily.  Amy 
Roberts  says  you  can  teach  a  horse  to  count  if  he  is  the 
right  kind  of  horse.  But  although  they  were  stupid,  I 
couldn't  bear  to  lose  one,  and  if  any  died,  I  always  buried 
it.  Besides,  I  never  would  let  Mother  have  one  for  dinner, 
and  she  bought  chickens  to  eat  from  a  farmer's  wife.  Father 
said  he  could  not  appreciate  my  sentiment  when  it  made 
him  pay  for  an  extra  dinner.  But  T  am  sorry  now  that  I 
did  not  let  him  have  my  chickens  to  eat.  One  day  when  I 
woke  up,  I  remembered  that  I  had  forgotten  to  lock  the 
hen-house  door.  When  I  ran  out  to  see  if  anything  had 
happened,  I  found  the  door  open  and  nothing  inside  but  a 
few  feathers.  Some  thief  had  stolen  all  my  pretty  chickens. 
I  have  never  felt  like  keeping  any  since. 

MRS.  TULLIVER'S  DEFENSE 

[Mrs.  Pullet  has  been  objecting  to  Mr.  Tulliver  because 
he  is  not  deferential  enough  to  his  wrife's  family.  The  fol- 
lowing is  Mrs.  Tulliver's  reply.] 

"I'm  sure,  sister,  I  can't  help  myself,"  she  said. 
"There's  no  woman  strives  more  for  her  children ;  and,  I'm 
sure,  at  scouring  time  this  Ladyday,  as  I've  had  all  the  bed- 


Unity  79 

hangings  taken  down,  I  did  as  much  as  the  two  gells  put 
together ;  and  there's  this  last  elder-flower  wine  I've  made 
beautiful !  I  always  offer  it  along  with  the  sherry,  though 
Sister  Glegg  will  have  it  I'm  so  extravagant;  and  as  for 
liking  to  have  my  clothes  tidy,  and  not  go  a  fright  about 
the  house,  there's  nobody  in  the  parish  can  say  anything 
against  me  in  respect  o'  backbiting  and  making  mischief, 
for  I  don't  wish  anybody  any  harm ;  and  nobody  loses  by 
sending  me  a  pork-pie,  for  my  pigs  are  fit  to  show  with 
the  best  o'  my  neighbors' :  and  the  linen's  so  in  order,  as 
if  I  was  to  die  tomorrow  I  shouldn't  be  ashamed.  A 
woman  can  do  no  more  nor  she  can." 

The  Mill  On  The  Floss,  George  Eliot. 


HOW  GREEN  PEAS  ARE  CANNED 

When  we  consider  the  fact  that  many  vegetables 
which  a  few  years  ago  were  unknown  in  this  country  are  at 
the  present  time  canned  and  ready  for  table  use,  do  we 
not  find  it  interesting  to  know  something  of  the  process 
of  canning?  I  did  not  think  how  wonderful  the  process 
of  canning  is  till  I  saw  it  done.  I  happened  to  be  at  Stur- 
geon Bay  where  there  is  a  large  pea  canning  factory. 

The  building  was  very  close  to  the  lake,  and  it  was  a 
rather  old-looking  place,  but  everything  was  exceptionally 
clean.  As  I  was  walking  along  the  sidewalk  I  glanced  into 
a  driveway  where  I  saw  a  man  pitching  some  kind  of  vines 
from  an  old  wagon  into  a  window.  Upon  inquiring  what 
the  vines  were  I  was  informed  that  they  were  pea  vines 
being  put  into  a  chute  leading  to  the  factory.  Having  seen 
this  much  I  was  extremely  anxious  to  see  what  became  of 
all  those  peas.  I  walked  up  the  driveway  a  little  distance 
and  looking  into  the  building  saw  many  interesting  ma- 
chines. 

The  building  was  large  and  roomy  and  the  scene  was 
one  of  a  very  busy  life.  However,  a  gentleman  evidently 
had  noticed  me  standing  outside,  curiously  looking  into  the 
building,  and  he  came  out  to  ask  me  if  I  should  not  like 
to  come  into  the  place.  When  I  started  in  I  noticed  how 
clean  everything  looked.     The  floor  was  of  cement  and  was 


80  A  First  Year  English  Book 

still  damp  from  being  scrubbed.  Evidently  I  acted  as 
if  I  were  going  to  stop  there,  for  the  gentleman  asked 
if  I  would  not  like  to  go  through  the  place,  and  much  to 
my  surprise,  left  me.  This  offered  me  a  chance  to  learn 
something  of  interest ;  so  I  ventured  inside,  where  another 
gentleman  ushered  me  around,  explaining  the  entire  process 
of  canning  peas. 

The  first  thing  to  be  seen  is  a  place  where  the  peas  in  the 
pods  are  thrown  out  of  the  chutes  in  which  they  are  sep- 
arated from  the  vines.  They  are  then  put  into  a  machine 
where  they  are  shelled  and  then  thrown  into  a  tank  of  water 
to  be  well  washed.  Then  the  peas  are  put  into  a  large  zinc 
cylinder  which  revolves  slowly.  There  are  in  this  cylinder 
holes  of  medium  size  out  of  which  the  smallest  peas  drop 
into  another  tank  of  water,  where  they  are  washed  thor- 
oughly before  being  put  into  the  next  tank,  where  they  are 
cooked  and  made  ready  for  canning.  The  rest  of  the  peas 
go  into  another  cylinder  in  which  are  holes  of  a  larger  size, 
and  so  the  peas  are  separated  into  three  sizes. 

The  peas  are  next  cooked  in  great  vats  of  boiling  water, 
and  then  rolled  down  a  trough  into  the  canning  room,  and 
thence  to  the  soldering  room,  where  the  cans  are  sealed. 
Thev  are  then  cooled  in  great  tanks  of  water,  labeled, 
packed  in  boxes,  and  are  ready  for  market. 


Exercises 

/.  Find  in  the  daily  newspapers  an  article  which  does 
not  stick  to  the  subject.    Read  it  to  the  class  and  criticize  it. 

2.  Turn  to  the  notes  you  took  under  Exercise  I,  page 
70.  Do  you  find  in  them  one  main  subject?  If  so,  write  a 
composition  on  that  subject. 

3.  Oral.  State  the  main  situation  suggested  by  the  pic- 
ture opposite  this  page. 

7.  In    the    following   exercises    combine   each    group   of 


hi 
o 

o 
o 


The  Topic  and  the  Paragraph  81 

sentences  into  a  single  sentence  by  changing  some  of  them 
into  modifying  words  or  clauses: 

1.  Years  passed  away.  Paul  grew  up;  he  was  a  quiet 
boy.  He  was  unpretending.  He  had  a  shy  look  and  awk- 
ward behavior. 

2.  Generally  he  kept  apart.  He  took  care  of  the  twins. 
He  would  sit  for  hours  and  work  at  some  wood-carving. 

3.  Meanwhile,  he  would  not  say  a  word  to  anyone.  He 
had  little  intercourse  with  boys  of  his  own  age  even  at 
school. 

4.  The  old  seaman  sat  before  the  fire.  It  threw  fan- 
tastic shadows  on  the  walls. 

5.  He  wore  his  hair  in  a  tarry  pigtail.  This  fell  over 
the  shoulders  of  his  soiled  blue  coat. 

6.  Every  day  he  would  come  back  from  his  stroll. 
He  would  ask  if  any  sea- faring  men  had  gone  along  the 
road. 

7.  I  remember  the  wooden  sea-chest.  It  stood  in  his 
room.  It  was  fastened  with  a  heavy  lock.  None  of  us  had 
ever  seen  it  open. 

8.  I  remember  the  appearance  of  his  coat.  He  patched 
it  himself.    Before  the  end  it  was  nothing  but  patches. 

9.  It  was  already  candle-light.  We  reached  the  ham- 
let.   We  hoped  to  find  aid  there. 


SECTION  V.    THE  TOITC  AND  THE  PARAGRAPH 

In  writing  a  composition,  then,  you  must  know  what  sub- 
ject you  are  going  to  write  about;  you  must  treat  that  sub- 
ject and  nothing  else.  Very  often  you  will  find  that  your 
subject  contains  but  one  topic.     Many  editorials,  many  an- 


&2  .1  First  Year  English  Book 


&' 


ecdotes,  some  poems,  treat  only  one  topic.  Generally,  how- 
ever, you  will  find  that  your  subject  falls  into  two  or  three 
main  topics. 

Suppose  you  were  going  to  write  about  how  you  spent 
your  holiday.  You  would  probably  find  that  your  subject 
divided  into  two  topics ;  what  happened  in  the  morning,  and 
what  happened  in  the  afternoon.  If  the  morning  had  been 
dull,  but  the  afternoon  had  been  interesting  because  of  three 
things  that  happened,  you  would  doubtless  begin  your  com- 
position with  the  statement  that  there  was  nothing  to  tell 
about  the  morning,  and  then  you  would  go  on  to  treat  the 
three  interesting  events  of  the  afternoon.  If  you  were  tell- 
ing how  you  cooked  a  meal,  your  first  topic  might  be  an 
account  of  how  you  planned  your  courses,  and  the  second, 
how  you  carried  out  your  plan.  Or  your  first  topic  might 
be,  "Collecting  and  Preparing  the  Different  Articles  of 
Food,"  and  the  second,  "Cooking  and  Serving  the  Meal." 

Most  subjects,  then,  contain  several  topics,  or  main  parts. 
In  order  to  make  these  easily  evident  to  the  eye,  compo- 
sitions are  divided  into  paragraphs.  Each  paragraph  states 
a  topic  and  then  discusses  it. 

'  Just  as  you  must  deal  with  one  subject  in  your  whole 
composition,  so  you  must  deal  with  one  part  of  your  subject 
in  each  paragraph.  /A  paragraph  must  treat  of  one  topic 
and  one  only ;  it  must  stick  to  the  point.  \ 

THE  LAST  LESSON 

[After  the  Franco-Prussian  war  the  French  provinces  of 
Alsace  and  Lorraine  were  ceded  to  the  Germans.] 

That  morning  it  was  quite  late  before  I  started  for 
school,  and  I  was  terribly  afraid  I  should  be  scolded,  for 
Monsieur  Ffamel  had  told  us  that  he  would  question  us 
upon  participles,  and  I  did  not  know  the  first  thing  about 


The  Topic  and  the  Paragraph  83 

them.  The  blackbirds  whistling  upon  the  outskirts  of  the 
voods,  the  Prussians  drilling  in  the  meadow,  tempted  me, 
but  I  went  on  my  way.  When  I  reached  the  town  hall,  I 
saw  a  group  of  people  who  loitered  before  the  little  grat- 
ing, reading  the  placards  posted  upon  it.  For  two  years, 
every  bit  of  bad  news  about  our  lost  battles  had  been 
announced  to  us  from  that  grating.  As  I  hurried  across 
the  square,  the  blacksmith  told  me  that  I  should  reach 
Monsieur  Hamel's  soon  enough,  but  I  thought  he  was  mak- 
ing fun  of  me.     I  was  all  out  of  breath  when  I  arrived. 

Usually  the  place  was  full  of  uproar,  all  of  us  reciting 
lessons  at  the  top  of  our  voices,  all  shouting  together,  and 
each  of  us  stopping  his  ears  that  he  might  hear  better.  But 
on  this  day  a  Sabbath  stillness  reigned.  I  entered  in  the 
midst  of  that  deep  silence,  blushing,  but  Monsieur  Hamel, 
without  anger,  told  me  to  take  my  seat  quickly.  When  I 
had  recovered  from  my  fright,  I  noticed  that  our  master 
had  on  his  handsome  green  frock-coat,  and  his  finest 
frilled  shirt  which  he  wore  only  upon  inspection  days,  or 
upon  those  occasions  when  prizes  were  distributed.  But 
the  greatest  surprise  of  all  came  when  my  eye  fell  upon  the 
benches  at  the  farther  end  of  the  room.  Usually,  they  were 
empty,  but  this  morning,  the  villagers  sat  there,  solemn  as 
ourselves. 

"My  children,"  said  Monsieur  Hamel,  in  a  grave  and 
gentle  tone,  "this  is  the  last  day  I  shall  teach  you.  The 
order  has  come  from  Berlin  that  henceforth  in  the  schools 
of  Alsace  and  Lorraine  all  instruction  shall  be  given  in 
German.  Your  new  master  will  arrive  to-morrow.  To- 
day you  hear  the  last  lesson  you  will  receive  in  French,  and 
I  beg  you  will  be  most  attentive." 

My  last  French  lesson !  and  I  scarcely  knew  how  to 
write !  How  I  grudged  every  moment  I  had  lost !  And 
those  books  which  a  moment  before  were  so  dull  and  heavy 
seemed  now  to  wear  the  faces  of  old  friends  to  whom  I 
could  not  bear  to  bid  farewell.  Now  I  understood  why 
Monsieur  Hamel  wore  his  finest  clothes,  why  the  villagers 
had  come.  I  was  busied  with  these  reflections  when  Mon- 
sieur Hamel  called  on  me  to  recite.  Ah !  what  would  I 
not  have  given  then  had  I  been  able  to  repeat  from  begin- 
ning to  end  that  famous  rule  for  the  use  of  the  participles ; 


84  A  First  Year  English  Book 

but  I  became  entangled  in  the  first  few  words.  Monsieur 
Hamel,  however,  did  not  chide  me.  Instead,  he  began  to 
speak  of  the  French  language,  saying  it  was  the  clearest, 
most  beautiful  language  in  the  world,  which  we  must  keep 
as  our  heritage,  never  allowing  it  to  be  forgotten,  telling 
us  that  when  a  nation  has  become  enslaved,  she  holds  the 
key  which  shall  unlock  her  prison  as  long  as  she  preserves 
her  native  tongue.  Then  he  took  a  grammar  and  read  our 
lesson  to  us.  and  I  was  amazed  to  see  how  well  I  under- 
stood. After  that,  he  set  us  at  writing,  giving  us  copies 
on  which  he  had  written  in  a  beautiful  round  hand,  "France, 
Alsace!  France,  Alsace!"  Not  a  sound  was  heard  but  the 
scratching  of  our  pens.  Once,  some  cockchafers  entered 
the  room,  but  not  even  the  tiniest  pupils  paid  the  least  atten- 
tion to  them.  They  were  absorbed  in  tracing  their  straight 
strokes  as  conscientiously  as  if  these,  too,  were  written  in 
French.  Whenever  I  looked  up  from  my  page,  I  saw 
Monsieur  Hamel  gazing  fixedly  about  the  little  school 
where  he  had  taught  for  forty  years. 

Suddenly,  we  heard  the  church  clock  strike  twelve,  and 
the  Angelus.  At  the  same  moment,  a  trumpet  blast  under 
our  windows  announced  that  the  Prussians  were  returning 
from  drill.  Monsieur  Hamel  rose  in  his  chair.  He  was 
very  pale ;  never  before  had  he  seemed  to  me  so  tall  as 
at  that  moment.  He  tried  to  speak,  but  he  could  not  finish 
his  sentence.  Then  he  took  a  piece  of  chalk,  and  wrote  in 
his  largest  hand.  "Vive  la  France!"  He  remained  standing 
at  the  blackboard,  his  head  resting  against  the  wall.  He 
did  not  speak  again,  but  a  motion  of  his  hand  said  to  us, 
"That  is  all.    You  are  dismissed." 

Adapted  from  the  French  of  Daudct. 

The  first  paragraph  tells  how  Francois  set  out  for  school, 
and  what  he  saw  on  the  way.  The  second  relates  how  he 
entered  the  silent  room,  and  what  he  saw  there.  The  third 
is  a  short  paragraph  of  conversation  in  which  Monsieur 
Hamel  tells  the  children  that  they  are  studying-  their  last 
French  lesson.  The  fourth  long  paragraph  gives  an  account 
of  the  lesson,  and  the  fifth  tells  of  the  dismissal.    Each  oara- 


The  Topic  and  the  Paragraph  85 

graph,  as  yon  see,  deals  with  a  different  topic ;  each  is  im- 
portant enough  to  have  a  paragraph  by  itself.  You  will 
note,  too,  that  each  paragraph  deals  with  one  topic  only. 
Nothing  is  introduced  which  is  not  needed ;  nothing  is  left 
out  which  should  be  introduced.  For  example,  in  the  first 
paragraph  we  must  be  told  about  the  lesson  on  the  parti- 
ciples, the  Prussians  drilling,  the  placards,  and  the  words 
of  the  blacksmith,  because  all  those  details  are  used  later 
on.  In  the  second  paragraph  we  must  be  told  of  the  usual 
uproar  in  order  to  feel  the  contrast  of  the  unusual  silence. 
We  must  know  of  the  master's  fine  clothes,  and  of  the 
presence  of  visitors.  In  the  fourth  paragraph,  the  little 
detail  of  the  cockchafers  serves  to  show  how  perfectly  the 
attention  of  the  children  was  held. 

There  are  a  great  many  points  of  interest  about  this  story. 
The  suspense  is  very  well  handled ;  it  is  only  in  the  third 
paragraph  that  the  boy  understands  the  situation ;  till  then 
we  are  wondering  what  has  happened.  The  detail  about 
the  Prussians  in  the  first  and  last  paragraphs  adds  a  great 
deal.  Throughout,  the  author  makes  you  feel  the  pathos 
in  the  fact  that  these  oeople  of  Alsace  were  forced  to  give 
up  their  nationality. 

Exercises 

1.  Oral.  Turn  back  to  page  26,  The  Arrival,  and  state 
the  topics  treated  in  each  paragraph. 

2.  State  the  topics  in  the  paragraphs  of  the  following 
selection. 

Passing  through  many  a  mile  of  pine  and  spruce 
woods,  toward  the  centre  of  the  park  you  come  to  the 
famous  Yellowstone  Lake.  It  is  about  twenty  miles  long 
and  fifteen  wide,  and  lies  at  a  height  of  nearly  eight  thou- 
sand  feet  above   the  level   of  the   sea,   amid    dense  black 


86  ./  First  Year  English  Hook 

forests  and  snowy  mountains.  Around  its  winding,  waver- 
ing shores,  closely  forested  and  picturesquely  varied  with 
promontories  and  bays,  the  distance  is  more  than  one  hun- 
dred miles.  It  is  not  very  deep,  only  from  two  hundred 
to  three  hundred  feet,  and  contains  less  water  than  the 
celebrated  Lake  Tahoe  of  the  California  Sierra,  which  is 
nearly  the  same  size,  lies  at  a  height  of  six  thousand  four 
hundred  feet,  and  is  over  sixteen  hundred  feet  deep.  But 
no  other  lake  in  North  .America  of  equal  area  lies  so  high 
as  the  Yellowstone,  or  gives  birth  to  so  noble  a  river.  The 
terraces  around  its  shores  show  that  at  the  close  of  the 
glacial  period  its  surface  was  about  one  hundred  and  sixty 
feet  higher  than  it  is  now,  and  its  area  nearly  twice  as  great. 

It  is  full  of  trout,  and  a  vast  multitude  of  birds,  swans, 
pelicans,  geese,  ducks,  cranes,  herons,  curlews,  plovers, 
snipe — feed  in  it  and  upon  its  shores ;.  and  many  forest 
animals  come  out  of  the  woods  and  wade  a  little  way  in 
shallow,  sandy  places  to  look  about  them,  and  cool  them- 
selves in  the  free  flowing  breezes. 

The  Absaroka  Mountains  and  the  Wind  River  Plateau 
on  the  east  and  south  pour  their  gathered  waters  into  it, 
and  the  river  issues  from  the  north  side  in  a  broad,  smooth, 
stately  current,  silently  gliding  with  such  serene  majesty 
that  one  fancies  it  knows  the  vast  journey  of  four  thousand 
miles  that  lies  before  it,  and  the  work  it  has  to  do.  For 
the  first  twenty  miles  its  course  is  in  a  level,  sunny  valley 
lightly  fringed  with  trees,  through  which  it  flows  in  silvery 
reaches  stirred  into  spangles  here  and  there  by  ducks  and 
leaping  trout,  making  no  sound  save  a  low  whispering 
among  the  pebbles  and  the  dripping  willows  and  sedges  of 
its  banks.  Then  suddenly,  as  if  preparing  for  hard  work, 
it  rushes  eagerly,  impetuously  forward  rejoicing  in  its 
strength,  breaks  into  foam-bloom,  and  goes  thundering 
flown  into  the  Grand  Canon  in  two  magnificent  falls,  one 
hundred  and  three  hundred  feet  high. 

Our  Notional  Parks,  John  MuiB. 


j.     Write  a  theme  on  one  of  the  following  subjects,  using 
the  topic  sentences  suggested. 


The  Topic  and  the  Paragraph  87 

THE  FIREMAN'S  CALLING 

There  are  a  great  many  dangerous  occupations  in  the 
world,  but  among  them  all,  none  is  more  interesting  to  me 
than  that  of  the  fireman.    His  daily  work  consists  in    .    .    . 

But  the  excitement  and  danger  in  the  fireman's  life    .    .    . 

BRIDGES 

Modern  invention  has  introduced  many  new  methods  into 
industry.  The  use  of  steel  frames,  for  instance,  has  changed 
the  process  of  bridge-building.  The  old  bridges  used  to  be 
made  of  stone     .     .     .     (Describe.) 

But  nowadays  all  the  great  bridges  are  built  of  steel, 
and  many  of  them  are  of  huge  size  and'  stand  very  high 
across  the  water.  One  of  the  best  examples  is  the  Brook- 
lyn bridge.     (Describe.) 

THE  WILD  BEAST  TRAINER 

There  are  many  queer  ways  of  getting  a  living,  such 
as  fortune-telling,  tight-rope  walking,  and  jugglery;  and 
one  often  wonders  why  people  enter  such  strange  callings. 
One  of  the  most  unusual  and  at  the  same  time  most  interest- 
ing of  occupations  is  that  of  the  wild  beast  tamer.     .     .     . 

I  can  think  of  three  reasons  why  people  follow  this  call- 
ing.   ( Write  a  paragraph  on  each. ) 

A  QUESTION  OF  MORALITY 

In  the  Middle  Ages  they  had  a  strange  way  of  settling 
a  dispute,  called  the  "Trial  by  battle."  .  .  .  (Describe 
it.) 

This    custom    seems    to    me   [  Hght  J  because     .     .     . 
(Give  your  reasons  why.) 


88  A  First  Year  English  Book 

S<  >LDIER   AND  SAID  >R   TOO 

Few  nun  nowadays  lead  such  adventurous  lives  as  did 
that  old  soldier  of  fortune,  Captain  John  Smith.  His  life 
in  Europe  was  full  of  strange  happenings.  .  .  .  {Nar- 
rate.) 

But  more  familiar  to  us  are  lh>  adventures  in  America. 
.    .     .     {Narrate,  i 

1  HE  CARRIER  PIGEoX 

The  carrier  pigeon  is     .     .     .     {Describe  it. ) 
It  has  a  remarkable  instinct  which  enables  it  to    .     .     . 
(  Tell  how  it  will  find  its  home.) 

This  instinct  in  the  carrier  pigeon  has  sometimes  been 
of  great  service  to  man     .     .     .     t  Tell  how.  > 

/.  (  Iral.  Discuss  the  following  subject,  using  the  topic 
sentences  suggested  : 

There  are  two  characters  in  history  I  always  like  to  read 

about:  one  is  ;  the  other  .     I   like  to  read  about 

.     .     .     {Tell  why  you  like  to  read  of  the  first.  I 

I  like  to  read  of  .  .  .  {Tell  why  you  like  to  read 
of  the  second,  > 

5.  Oral.  In  the  same  way  discuss  the  following:  We 
often  think  that  there  is  no  chance  nowadays  to  do  anything 
heroic,  but  when  we  read  of  such  a  man  a^  Father  Damien 
we  know  that  there  are  opportunities  now  just  as  there  were 
in  the  days  of  King  Arthur. 

Father  Damien's  early  life  was     .     .     .     1  Narrate.  1 
At  last  he  found  his  life  work     .     .     .     {Narrate.) 


The  Plan  89 

SECTION  VI.     THE  PLAN 

So  far  it  is  clear  that  you  should  have  definitely  in  mind 
your  subject  and  the  main  topics  into  which  it  naturally 
divides.  It  does  not  matter  how  you  accomplish  this,  but 
most  people  find  it  a  help  to  make  a  plan  before  writing. 
Some  people  write  down  the  subject,  and  the  main  parts  into 
which  it  divides,  even  before  taking  notes.  Others  make 
the  notes  first,  then  look  through  them  to  determine  the 
topics,  and  then  write  the  plan.  The  following  plans  and 
notes  written  on  the  same  subject  by  two  brothers  will  show 
you  how  different  people  treat  the  same  subject.  The  first 
boy  made  his  plan  and  then  took  notes ;  the  second  used 
the  opposite  method. 

ALECK'S  COMPOSITION 
Subject:    Hoiv  We  Made  Maple  Sugar. 

Plan 

1.  Going  to  the  woods. 

2.  What  we  did  before  the  sap  was  ready  to  boil. 

3.  Making  the  sugar. 

Rough   Notes 

Early  start.  Vacation  time.  Cousin  Miles.  Utensils. 
Arrival  at  grove.  House  in  the  woods.  Gathering  brush 
for  fire.  Putting  in  spouts.  The  troughs.  Collecting  sap. 
Waiting  for  it  to  boil.  Watching  the  kettles.  Supper.  Sap 
poured  out.     Hardened  into  sugar. 

The  First  Draft 

(1)  We  were  visiting  Cousin  Miles  in  Soperton, 
Canada,  during  our  spring  vacation.     (2)     He  has  a  small 


90  A  First  Year  English  Hook 

grove  of  maple  trees  from  which  he  makes  maple  sugar. 
(3)    The  grove  used  to  be  much  larger,  but  fire  destroyed 
a  good  deal  of  it.     (4)    One  reason  why  Father  wanted  us 
to  visit  Cousin  Miles  was  so  that  we  could  see  how  maple 
sugar  was  made.     (5)    He  used  to  like  making  it  when  he 
was  a  boy.     (6)    So  we  were  looking  forward  to  going  to 
the  grove.     (7)    We  got  up  early  on  one  morning,  Cousin 
Miles,  the  hired  man,  whose  name  is  Jim,  Joe  and  I,  and 
drove  behind  the  old  mule.     (8)    I  was  so  sleepy  at  first 
that  I  did  not  see  what  we  had  in  the  cart  with  us.      (9) 
But  after  a  while  I  noticed  that  we  had  a  great  iron  pot 
that   would    hold   about    forty   gallons,   eight    wooden   pails, 
a  frying  pan  and  coffee  pot,  and  some  blankets.     (10)    We 
drove  out  in  the  nippy  spring  air,  and  about  the  time  the 
sun  was  up  we  reached  the  grove.     ( 1 1 )      There  was  a  lit- 
tle clearing,  on  one  side  of  which  was  a  hut.     (12)      Joe 
and   1    ran   inside  and   found  an  old  rusty  stove,  a  table,  a 
bench,  and  in  a  corner,  a  pile  of  wooden  troughs.     (13) 
After  Cousin  Miles  and  the  hired  man  had  brought  in  the 
blankets  and   frying-pan  and  coffee-pot,  they  called  us  out 
and  we  got  into  the  cart  again.     (14)    We  drove  to  a  part 
of  the  grove  where  two  small  trees  about  seven  feet  apart 
had  been  cut  and  trimmed  so  that  they  were  almost  like 
posts.     (15)      Across  their  forks  a  long  pole  hung.     (16) 
The  hired  man  took  one  end  of  this  off,  and  swung  the  kettle 
on.     (17)    I  forgot  to  say  that  he  and  Cousin  Miles  had 
put  all  the  troughs  in  the  cart.     (18)    They  then  went  from 
tree  to  tree,  cutting  little  holes  about  half  an  inch  round  and 
one  and  a  half  inches  deep,  and  at  about  four  feet  from  the 
ground.      (19)       Into  each   hole  they  put  a  semi-circular 
spout  made  of  basswood.     (20)    I  should  have  said  that  they 
put  troughs  first  under  all  the  trees  they  cut.     (21)    Before 
we  could  see  how  soon  the  sap  would  begin  to  run,  Cousin 
Miles  sent  us  off  to  gather  brushwood  to  put  under  the 
kettle.     (22)      While  we  collected  wood,  the  sap  began  to 
run.     (23)    I  think  we  must  have  gathered  wood  for  two 
or  three  hours.     (24)    Then  Cousin  Miles  made  a  fire  under- 
neath the  kettle.     (25)    The  next  thing  he  did  was  to  go  to 
the  troughs,  and  scoop  up  with  wooden  pails  what  sap  there 
was  in  each.      (26)      This  he  poured  into  the  big  kettle. 
(2y)    We  stood  about  waiting  for  the  sap  to  boil   when 


The  Plan 


91 


Cousin  Miles  sent  us  back  to  the  hut  to  cook  the  dinner. 
(28)  I  can  tell  you  we  hurried.  (29)  I  think  we  can  cook- 
pretty  well,  for  Father  has  taken  us  camping  a  good  deal. 
(30)  I  remember  one  time  I  cooked  thirty  fish  for  a  big 
party  for  breakfast.  (31)  When  we  called  Cousin  Miles 
and  Jim  to  dinner,  they  had  poured  in  more  sap,  and  they 
said  the  kettle  would  be  ready  to  boil  when  the  dinner  was 
over.  (32)  We  hurried  through  dinner  so  that  we  could 
stir  the  sap.  (33)  Some  leaves  and  bark  fell  in,  but  Cousin 
Miles  said  they  would  add  to  the  flavor.  (34)  I  thought 
we'd  have  a  great  deal  of  sugar,  but  Cousin  Miles  said  that 
four  gallons  of  sap  would  make  only  about  a  pound  of  sugar, 
and  a  tree  would  yield  from  two  to  six  pounds  a  season. 
(35)  Cousin  Miles  let  me  skim  off  the  scum  that  came  to  the 
surface.  (36)  Late  in  the  afternoon  he  said  the  sugar 
would  be  burnt  if  we  left  it  in  the  kettle  any  longer.  (37) 
He  poured  it  into  the  pails.  (38)  After  a  while  the  syrup 
slowly  hardened  into  sugar.  (39)  We  ate  all  we  wanted 
of  it,  spreading  it  on  our  bread  for  supper.  (40)  I  should 
have  said  chat  we  brought  bread  and  groceries  with  us  as 
well  as  the  cooking  things.  (41)  Then  we  went  to  bed, 
tired  out. 

Criticism 

Let  us  take  up  Aleck's  work  topic  by  topic.  The  first 
paragraph,  "Going  to  the  woods,"  has  ten  sentences.  Six 
of  these  are  introductory,  some  of  which  can  be  omitted 
(the  third,  for  example,  is  quite  off  the  point),  and  the 
others  cut  down.  The  introduction,  up  to  Sentence  7, 
could  be  expressed  "in  the  following  way:  "Father  used  to 
enjoy  maple-sugar-making  when  he  was  a  boy ;  so  he  sent 
Joe  and  me  to  spend  our  spring  vacation  with  Cousin  Miles, 
who  has  a  maple  sugar  grove." 

On  reading  all  the  sentences  over  you  will  see  that  this 
first  topic  could  more  appropriately  be  named,  "What  we 
took  with  us  on  our  drive  to  the  woods."  So  far,  then, 
the  use  of  a  plan  has  helped  Aleck  to  treat  one  topic  and 


92  A  First  Year  English  Book 

only  one,  and  has  also  helped  him  to  find  out  definitely  what 
the  topic  is. 

In  the  second  topic,  '"What  we  did  before  the  sap  was 
ready  to  boil,"  sentence  17  belongs  with  sentence  13,  and  20 
should  come  before  18.  Sentences  29  and  30  have  nothing 
to  do  with  the  topic  of  the  paragraph  or  the  subject  of  the 
composition.  The  third  paragraph  follows  the  topic  with 
the  exception  of  sentence  20,  which  belongs  with  sentence  17. 

JOE'S  O  »MP<  ISITION 

(1)  I  was  dreaming  that  I  was  in  a  house  made  of 
maple  sugar,  slowly,  slowly  eating  my  way  out,  when  I  was 
awakened  by  Aleck,  who  was  dropping  cold  water  on  my 
face.  (2)  I  told  him  once  that  was  a  way  they  used  to 
torture  people  in  the  old  times.     (3)    So  he  tried  it  on  me. 

(4)  I  jumped  up,  remembering  all  at  once  that  Cousin 
Miles   was   going   to   take   us   to   help   make   maple   sugar. 

( 5 )  We  dressed  by  lamplight,  ate  breakfast,  and  hur- 
ried out  to  a  cart  which  Cousin  Miles  and  the  man  Jim 
had  loaded  with  pails,  a  big  iron  kettle,  food  and  dishes. 
101  We  jumped  in,  and  drove  along  behind  the  old  mule. 
Jennie.  (7)  I  sat  on  some  gunny-sacks,  and  breathed 
in  the  cool  air.  (8)  It  felt  very  exciting  to  be  driving 
along  in  the  gray  light.  (9)  We  were  on  a  road  lined 
with  trees,  and  I  thought  they  looked  very  solemn  and 
dark.  (  10)  Here  and  there  white  frost  lay  on  them, 
as  if  some  one  had  put  it  on  with  a  brush.  (11)  I  sup- 
pose  if  I  believed  in  fairies  I  might  think  that  they  got 
np  early  and  painted  the  trees  with  frost.  (12)  I  must 
say  I  read  fairy  tales  now  and  then,  and  wish  they  were 
true.  (13)  Well,  after  a  while  the  gray  light  seemed  to 
grow  brighter,  and  then  some  rose  color  came  in  the  sky. 
(14)  ft  grew  brighter  and  brighter,  and  presently  up 
jumped  the  sun.  (15)  He  seemed  to  make  a  real  pop. 
(16)  At  the  same  time,  the  cart  turned  into  Cousin  Miles' 
strove  of  maple  trees,  and  stopped  in  front  of  a  little  gray 
hut  with  a  roof  of  yellow  shingles.  (17)  It  looked  some- 
how like  an  old  man  with  a  straw  hat  on.     (18)    We  found 


The  Plan  93 

out  that  the  cooking  was  done  there.  (19)  Presently  we 
got  into  the  cart  again  with  troughs  and  pails  and  the  big 
kettle,  and  began  to  drive  down  a  narrow  road  full  of  ruts. 
(20)  I  liked  the  look  of  the  troughs,  which  were  brown 
with  age  and  polished  and  smooth  inside.  (21)  After  a 
while  we-  stopped  at  a  place  where  a  pole  was  slung  across 
two  uprights  made  of  trees.  (22)  This  was  to  hang  the 
kettle  on.  (23)  We  went  with  Cousin  Miles  and  Jim 
while  they  put  the  troughs  under  the  maple  trees.  (24) 
Then  they  cut  little  round  holes  in  these  trees,  and  put  in 
spouts  from  which  the  sap  was  to  run.  (25)  Aleck  and 
I  had  to  gather  dead  wood  for  the  fire.  (26)  It  felt  chill 
to  the  touch  as  if  it  had  saved  up  all  the  cold  of  winter 
inside  itself.  (27)  After  the  fire  was  lighted.  Cousin 
Miles  took  pails  and  got  sap  out  of  the  troughs  for  the 
•kettle.  (28)  It  looked  very  black,  swinging  up  there  over 
the  red  and  blue  flames  of  the  fire.  (29)  While  I  was 
watching  the  sap,  Cousin  Miles  sent  Aleck  and  me  off  to 
cook  dinner,  something  I  don't  like  to  do.  (30)  Maybe 
it  is  because  I  always  burn  my  fingers,  or  put  in  too  much 
salt,  or  something;  anyway,  I'd  rather  watch  the  fire.  (31) 
After  dinner  we  went  back  to  the  kettle.  (32)  It  was 
fun  to  watch  the  sap  boiling.  (33)  It  made  big  yellow 
circles,  and  gray-white  bubbles ;  sometimes  it  boiled  hard 
as  if  it  wanted  to  talk.  (34)  I  wondered  if  it  could  have 
told  us  what  the  maple  trees  think  of  all  winter  while  they 
are  waiting  for  the  spring.  (35)  I  helped  skim  the  syrup, 
and  at  first  I  tried  to  keep  bits  of  bark  and  leaves  from 
falling  in.  (36)  But  I  was  glad  when  Cousin  Miles  said 
it  didn't  matter,  for  I  felt  as  if  all  the  woods  ought  to  have 
a  share  in  the  sugar.  (37)  When  the  syrup  was  boiled 
enough  it  was  poured  into  pails,  and  by  and  by  it  became 
gray-brown  sugar.  (38)  At  supper  Cousin  Miles  said  we 
were  to  stay  all  night.  (39)  Of  course  we  were  glad,  for 
it  was  quite  as  good  as  camping.  (40)  After  supper  we 
went  out  to  watch  the  boiling  again.  (41)  Our  light  was 
partly  the  moon,  and  partly  a  lantern,  and  partly  a  big 
torch  which  Jim  had  made  of  pine  wood.  (42)  He  stuck 
it  in  the  hollow  of  a  stump,  and  there  it  blazed  and  flared 
in  the  wind.  (43)  After  a  while,  Cousin  Miles  took  us 
to  the  hut  to  go  to  bed,  while  Jim  stayed  with  the  kettle. 


94  A  first  Year  English  Book 

(44)  But  the  house  seemed  stuffy,  and  the  floor  I  was 
sleeping  on  very  hard.  (45)  So  when  the  others  were 
asleep,  I  slipped  out,  carrying  my  blankets,  and  went  back 
to  Jim.  (46)  I  rolled  up  in  my  blankets  under  one  of  the 
trees.  (47)  It  all  seemed  very  quiet.  (48)  All  I  could 
hear  was  the  steady  drip  of  the  sap  into  the  troughs,  the 
crackle  of  the  fire,  and  now  and  then  the  hoot  of  an  owl. 
(49)  All  I  could  see  was  Jim's  dark  figure,  and  his  face 
in  the  light  of  the  pine  torch,  and  the  dark  trees  all  bare, 
and  away  above  them,  the  stars.  (50)  They  seemed 
larger  and  quieter  than  ever  before.  (51)  I  lay  there 
winking  up  at  them,  and  wishing  I  could  keep  my  eyes  as 
steady  as  they  were.  (52)  That  was  my  last  thought  ; 
when  I  next  knew  anything,  it  was  dawn,  and  another  day 
of  sugar-making  had  begun. 

When  Joe  chose  his  subject  he  thought  he  was  going  to 
give  nearly  all  his  space  to  telling  what  he  did  in  the  grove, 
but  when  he  had  written  his  notes  he  saw  that  his  plan 
should  have  read  as  follows : 

Plan 
t.     The  drive  to  the  grove;  sentences  1-18. 

2.  How  we  made  the  sugar;  sentences  19-37. 

3.  The  night  in  the  woods;  sentences  38-52. 

Criticism 

On  comparing  the  plan  with  the  notes,  he  found  that 
from  the  first  topic  he  must  cut  out  sentences  2  and  3,  for, 
although  they  are  interesting,  they  have  nothing  to  do  with 
the  topic;  and  also  sentence  12.  In  the  second  paragraph, 
sentence  30  is  not  related  to  the  topic.  The  third  para- 
graph, which  is  very  well  written,  follows  the  topic  properly. 

These  two  boys  have  treated  the  same  subject  very  dif- 
ferently. Aleck  is  more  accurate ;  Joe  is  more  imaginative. 
Indicate  the  sentences  which  show  Joe's  imagination  and 
love  of  nature,  and  Aleck's  accuracy.  Which  composition 
do  you  like  the  better?    Whv? 


The  Plan  95 

Exercises 

/.  Read  the  following  notes ;  state  the  subject  of  each 
composition ;  point  out  the  sentences  that  are  irrelevant  to 
the  subject,  and  make  a  plan  in  which  you  show  the  topics 
into  which  your  subject  naturally  falls. 

1. 

( 1 )  The  way  to  the  old  house  on  Chesapeake  Bay  led 
through  a  long  stretch  of  woods.  (2)  As  we  drove  my 
eyes  were  delighted  with  the  colors  about  us.  (3)  First, 
there  was  the  dull  yellow  of  the  sandy  road,  damper,  and 
there  fore  darker,  where  the  shade  was  deep.  (4)  On  both 
sides  of  the  road  were  oak  trees,  sycamore  trees  and  pine 
trees.  (5)  The  leaves  of  the  sycamore  were  a  bright  thin 
gold,  shining  against  dark  brown  trunks  and  branches. 
(6)  The  oaks  were  touched  with  brown,  but  the  pines 
kept  their  rich  dark  green.  (7)  No  leaves,  however,  have 
such  a  pure  gold  color  in  autumn  as  maple  leaves.  (8) 
There  were  hardly  any  flowers  to  be  seen,  partly  because  it 
was  autumn,  partly  because  they  do  not  grow  well  in  the 
sandy  soil  of  the  Eastern  Shore  of  Virginia.  (9)  When 
I  speak  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  you  know,  probably,  that  I 
am  writing  about  Virginia  land.  (10)  As  we  drove  on  I 
noticed  other  colors,  especially  in  the  mill-pond.  (11) 
This  was  a  beautiful  golden-brown  color,  so  clear  that  I 
could  almost  see  the  stones  at  the  bottom.  (12)  It  stirred 
gently  in  the  breeze,  and  the  water  lily  leaves  on  the  surface 
moved  a  little.  (13)  Now  and  then  through  the  trees  an 
old  gray  gate  in  a  low  fence  barred  our  progress.  (14) 
It  always  irritates  me  to  open  a  gate  when  I  am  driving. 
(15)  The  road  finally  led  us  through  a  cornfield  and  then 
up  to  a  great,  green,  tree-covered  lawn,  sloping  down  to 
the  water's  edge.  (16)  In  the  midst  of  this  lawn  stood 
the  house.  (17)  It  was  large  and  white  with  a  dark  green 
roof.  (18)  It  was  long,  consisting  of  a  main  part,  and 
two  wings,  but  so  narrow  that  it  did  not  seem  more  than 
one  room  in  width.  (19)  It  stood  perhaps  sixty  feet  from 
the  water.     (20)     I  counted  twenty  windows  on  the  upper 


g6  .1  Firsi  Year  English  Bo 

story  of  the  front,  and  about  fifteen  on  the  lower.     i_m  | 
Part  of  the  lower  -pace  was  taken  up  by  three  doors. 
The  roof  had  only  a  very  slight  slope.     •  23  1    The  window  5 
had  cool  green  shutters,  and  soft  white  curtains  fluttering 

in   and  out   through   the  open    -p..  2  ;  )      1  If   the   three 

white   doors,   the   middle   one   had    a   Square  of   -tallied    glass 

in  its  upper  half.     (25)     Wide  gravel  walks  swept  around 

the    house.      (26)      At   the  hack    were  the  kitchen    and    the 

servants'  houses,  also  painted  white,  and  behind,  a  vegetable 
garden.  \t   the  side   was  a   rose  garden   reaching 

almost  t<«  the  sandy  beach  at  the  water*-  edge.  (28)  The 
view  is  ver\  pretty,  whether  one  stands  at  the  front  of  the 
house,  looking  at  the  green  lawn  with  the  water  beyond, 
or  at  the  side  with  the  garden  •  in   sight. 

I  have  always  wished  that  1  hail  a  1  30)  This 

was  a  particularly  beautiful  one.  (31)  It  was  surrounded 
by  a  box-hedge,  fully  one  hundred  years  "id.  (32)  The 
garden  was  divided  into  parts  by  paths  edged  with  box 

(33)      The  ro>e>  were  of  all  color-:   red,  and  delicate  pink. 

and  faint  yellow,  and  white,  ami  ivory  colored.  (34)  I 
have  never  seen  more  beautiful  colors  except  in  a  garden 
in  France.    (35)     Even  in  <  let  her  thi   1  till  flourished 

bravely,  though  1  could  &ee  -;^n-  of  their  vanished  com- 
panions. (36)  Some  people  do  not  like  to  look  at  flowers 
in  Octoher.  but  I  think  the)  are  a  cheering  sight  then. 
\"f)  The  water  itself,  especially  as  I  saw  it  in  late  after- 
noon, seemed  to  have  as  many  lovely  tints  as  the  r 
(38)  Altogether,  the  impression  I  have  of  the  old  house 
on  the  Chesapeake,  the  ro~e  garden,  and  the  drive  to  the 
house,  is  a  very  beautiful  one.  rich  in  colors. 


(1)  When  T  was  sure  my  pursuers  had  gone  away  I 
stepped  again  into  the  pathway  which  led  to  the  empty  mill. 
(2)  I  pushed  open  the  tottering  door  and  entered  a  round, 
stone-flagged  room.  (3)  Outside,  nothing  was  to  be  seen  or 
heard.  (4)  On  one  side  of  this  chamber  was  a  long  W< 
hoX.  and  all  around  the  walls  were  sacks  full  of  flour.  (5) 
I  soon  lighted  a  fire.  (M  On  the  fireplace  stood  a  pile  ^\ 
wood,   all   ready    for  the   match.     (7)    I   went   out   to   the 


The  Plan  97 

pond  and  got  a  pitcher  of  water.  (8)  Then  I  opened  a 
flour  sack,  and,  taking  out  some  flour,  made  a  paste  of  it 
and  the  water.  (9)  Cookery  has  always  been  a  mystery 
to  me ;  many  a  time  on  my  adventures  I  have  wished  that 
I  had  the  knack  of  it.  (10)  There  have  been  days  when  I 
have  gone  hungry  rather  than  touch  my  own  cooking.  (11) 
But  this  cake  I  made  seemed  to  me  delicious,  and  I  ate  it 
with  a  relish.  (12)  I  cooked  it  on  a  shingle  in  front  of  the 
fire.  (13)  This  room  had  a  ladder  leading  to  a  loft  above. 
(14)  I  wondered  if  my  pursuers  could  have  given  up  the 
hunt  for  me,  or  were  only  postponing  it.  (15)  I  made 
another  cake,  which  I  ate  more  slowly  than  I  had  the  first. 
(16)  I  had  forgotten  all  about  the  danger  I  was  in,  when 
all  at  once  I  heard  a  loud  sneeze.  (17)  I  jumped  to  my 
feet  and  looked  all  about  me.  (18)  There  was  nothing  to 
see  but  the  solid  stone  walls  of  the  chamber,  the  box,  and  the 
sacks  of  flour.  (19)  There  was  no  adjoining  room  from 
which  the  noise  could  have  come.  (20)  I  had  gone  up  the 
ladder  before  I  made  my  cake,  and  investigated  the  loft. 
(21)  The  loft  was  a  bare  place,  absolutely  empty.  (22) 
I  began  at  last  to  think  that  my  imagination  had  deceived 
me.  (23)  I  was  settling  down  again  when  I  heard  an- 
other and  a  louder  sneeze.  (24)  The  sacks  were  unusually 
long  and  wide.  (25)  I  seized  my  sword  and  glanced  at  the 
flour  sacks.  (26)  Could  anyone  be  hidden  in  one  of  those 
great  bags?  (2/)  I  pricked  one  after  another,  but  found 
no  one.  (28)  I  was  standing  puzzling  over  the  matter 
when  I  heard  an  extraordinary  series  of  snorts  and  gasps 
and  cries.  (29)  This  time  there  could  be  no  doubt  as  to 
whence  the  noise  came.  (30)  I  ran  to  the  great  box  on 
which  I  had  been  seated,  threw  back  the  heavy  lid,  and 
gazed  in.  (31)  It  was  a  box  fully  six  feet  long.  (32)  It 
was  of  heavy  oak  wood,  brown  and  worn  with  age.  (33) 
It  was  more  than  half  full  of  flour,  in  the  midst  of  which 
was  floundering  some  creature,  so  coated  and  caked  with 
the  white  powder  that  it  was  hard  to  tell  that  he  was  human, 
except  for  the  pitiable  cries  he  was  uttering.  (34)  I 
dragged  the  man  from  his  hiding  place,  upon  which  he 
dropped  upon  his  knees  and  shouted  for  mercy.  (35)  I 
still  held  my  sword  in  hand.  (36)  It  was  a  stout  old  blade, 
which  had  been  given  me  by  my  father.     (37)     The  man 


98  A  hirst  Year  English  Book 

raised  such  a  cloud  of  dust  that  I  almost  dropped  my  sword 
as  I  stepped  back,  coughing  and  sneezing.  (38)  As  the 
powder  kept  dropping  from  him  1  saw  that  he  was  not  a 
miller  or  a  peasant  but  a  man-at-arms.  (39)  He  wore  a 
huge  sword  and  a  great  steel-faced  breastplate.  (40)  His 
Steel  cap  had  remained  behind  in  the  box,  and  his  bright 
red  hair  seemed  to  stand  straight  up  in  terror  as  he  implored 
me  to  spare  hi--  life.     141  )    Thinking  there  was  something 

familiar  about  him,  I  brushed  the  flour  from  his  face.      (  \2  ) 

Me  shrieked  as  though  I  had  tried  to  kill  him.     (43)     I 

have  seen   many  such  COWards  in   my  adventures.      (44)      I 

recognized   the   fellow  at   once     (45)    It   was  none  other 

than  the  ex-clerk  who  had  iir-t  set  the  pursuers  <>n  mv 
track. 

.?.  Criticize  the  following  plans;  arrange  them  in  what 
seem-  to  yon  natural  order.  I  >ecide  what  are  the  main  topics, 
and  place  under  each  main  topic  all  that  bears  upon  it. 


Washington's  First  Presidential  Inauguration 

Who  went  with  him. 

The  weather. 

The  barge  of  honor,  which  carried  him  from  Elizabeth 
Point,  Xew  Jersey,  across  the  harbor. 

His  reception  in  Xew  York. 

The  people  at  the  Battery. 

Escorting  flotilla. 

The  arrival  at  the  Battery. 

The  journey  from  his  home  at  Mount  Vernon  to  Xew 
York. 

How  he  took  the  oath. 

His  trip  from  Mount  Vernon  to  Elizabeth  Point. 

What  his  face  looked  like. 

The  delegation  which  met  him  in  Xew  Jersey. 

His  reception  in  Xew  York. 

What  he  wore. 

The  ceremony  of  inauguration. 


The  Plan  99 


Preserving  and  Canning 

Tin  cans  used;  sometimes  lined  with  parchment  to  pre- 
vent poisoning. 

How  the  pickles  are  prepared. 

Cooking. 

Glass  and  crockery  jars  used  for  pickles. 

Preparation  of  the  fruit  and  vegetables. 

Various  tests  to  which  cans  are  put  to  be  sure  they  are 
hermetically  sealed. 

The  large  copper  kettles  used  in  cooking  fruits  and  vege- 
tables. 

How  the  vegetables  are  cooked. 

All  bottles  of  mixed  pickles  uniform  in  number,  arrange- 
ment, and  color  of  contents. 

Cans  soldered  by  machines. 

Putting  pickles  and  whole  fruits  in  bottles  and  jars  by 
hand. 

Catsup,  baked  beans,  and  so  forth,  by  machinery. 

Caps  placed  on  each  can  by  hand. 

Process  of  cooking  the  fruit. 

Canning. 


5.     Write  a  composition  according  to  one  of  the  following 
plans : 

1.  The  Deserted  House. 

The  garden  and  driveways  of  the  deserted  house. 
The  lower  story. 
The  upper  story. 

2.  The  Deserted  House. 

How  it  looks  outside. 
The  yard. 
The  house. 

3.  The  Deserted  House. 

Why  I  do  not  like  to  go  near  it. 
What  it  looks  like. 


ioo  A  First  Year  English  Book 

4.  A  Trip  Dozen  the  River. 

What  we  saw  going  down. 
What  we  saw  coming  home. 

5.  The  Party. 

The  occasion  of  the  party  and  the  guests. 
The  games  we  played. 
The  supper. 

/.  Rewrite  the  following,  making  the  sentences  either 
simple  or  complex.  Underline  the  subordinate  elements  in 
the  rewritten  sentences. 

1.  The  kitchen  of  the  inn  was  of  spacious  dimensions; 
it  was  hung  round  with  copper  vessels ;  these  were  highly 
polished ;  it  was  decorated  here  and  there  with  a  Christmas 
green. 

2.  A  deal  table  extended  along  one  side  of  the  room ; 
the  table  was  well  scoured  ;  on  it  stood  a  cold  round  of  beef 
and  other  hearty  viands. 

3.  Travelers  of  inferior  order  were  preparing  to  attack 
this  repast ;  others  were  smoking  and  gossiping ;  they  sat  on 
two  high-backed  oaken  settles  beside  the  fire. 

4.  Trim  housemaids  hurried  backwards  and  forwards ; 
they  were  under  the  direction  of  a  fresh,  bustling  landlady. 

5.  Soon  there  drove  up  to  the  door  a  post-chaise ;  a 
young  gentleman  stepped  out  of  it ;  his  face  seemed  familiar 
to  me. 

6.  I  moved  forward  to  get  a  nearer  view ;  his  eye  caught 
mine. 

7.  It  was  Frank  Bracebridge ;  he  was  a  good-humored 
young  fellow ;  I  had  traveled  with  him  on  the  continent. 

8.  We  approached  the  house ;  we  heard  a  sound  of 
music  from  one  end  of  the  building. 

9.  The  servants  were  intent  upon  their  sports  ;  we  had 
to  ring  repeatedly. 


The  Topic  Sentence  101 

10.  The  squire  came  out  to  meet  us ;  he  was  accom- 
panied by  his  two  sons ;  one  was  an  officer  in  the  army ;  the 
other  was  an  Oxonian ;  he  was  home  from  the  university. 


SECTION  VII.     THE  TOPIC  SENTENCE 

One  can  hardly  say  too  often  that  the  purpose  of  writing 
is  to  make  your  thought  clear  to  someone  else.  Suppose 
you  have  your  plan  in  mind ;  now,  one  way  of  making  it 
clear  to  the  reader  is  to  state  in  a  sentence  near  the  begin- 
ning of  each  paragraph  what  topic  that  paragraph  treats  of. 
Such  a  sentence  is  called  the  topic  sentence.  You  have 
noticed  how  readily  you  can  follow  the  words  of  a  minister 
or  a  lecturer  who  announces  in  such  a  topic  sentence  what 
he  is  going  to  discuss.  The  topic  sentence  does  not,  of 
course,  always  occur  just  at  the  beginning  of  the  paragraph, 
although  that  is  generally  the  best  place  for  it. 

Exercises 

/.  Examine  the  topic  sentences  in  the  following  selec- 
tions : 

i.  Little  dramas  and  tragedies  and  comedies,  little  char- 
acteristic scenes,  arc  always  being  enacted  in  the  lives 
of  the  birds,  if  our  eyes  are  sharp  enough  to  see  than. 
Some  clever  observer  saw  this  little  comedy  played  among 
some  English  sparrows,  and  wrote  an  account  of  it  in  his 
newspaper.  It  is  too  good  not  to  be  true :  A  male  bird 
brought  to  his  box  a  fine,  large,  goose  feather,  which  is  a 
great  find  for  a  sparrow  and  much  coveted.  After  he  had 
deposited  his  prize  and  chattered  his  gratulations  over  it, 
he  went  away  in  quest  of  his  mate.  His  next  door  neigh- 
bor, a  female  bird,  seeing  her  chance,  quickly  slipped  in  and 
seized  the  feather — and  here  the  wit  of  the  bird  came  out, 
for,  instead  of  carrying  it  into  her  own  box,  she  flew  with 
it  to  a  near  tree  and  hid  it  in  a  fork  of  the  branches ;  then 


102  A  First  Year  English  Book 

went  home,  and  when  her  neighbor  returned  with  his  mate, 
was  innocently  employed  about  her  own  affairs.  The  proud 
male,  finding  his  feather  gone,  came  out  of  his  box  in  a  high 
state  of  excitement,  and  with  wrath  in  his  manner  and  ac- 
cusation on  his  tongue  rushed  into  the  cot  of  the  female. 
Not  finding  his  goods  and  chattels  there  as  he  had  expected, 
he  stormed  around  a  while,  abusing  everybody  in  general 
and  his  neighbor  in  particular,  and  then  went  away  as  if 
to  repair  the  loss.  As  soon  as  he  was  out  of  sight  the 
shrewd  thief  went  and  brought  the  feather  home  and  lined 
her  own  domicile  with  it.     .     .     . 

Sharp  Eyes,  John  Burroughs. 

2.  There  arc  names  which  carry  with  them  something 
of  a  charm.  We  utter  them,  and,  like  the  Prince  in  "The 
Arabian  Nights/'  who  mounted  the  marvelous  horse  and 
^><>ke  the  magic  words,  we  feel  ourselves  lifted  from  the 
earth  into  the  clouds.  We  have  but  to  say  "Athens,"  and  all 
the  great  deeds  of  antiquity  break  upon  our  hearts  like 
a  sudden  gleam  of  sunshine.  We  perceive  nothing  definite ; 
we  see  no  separate  figures ;  but  a  cloudy  train  of  glorious 
men  passes  over  the  heavens,  and  a  breath  touches  us, 
which,  like  the  first  warm  wind  in  the  year,  seems  to  give 
promise  of  the  spring  in  the  midst  of  snow  and  rain.  "Flor- 
ence!" and  the  magnificence  and  passionate  agitation  of 
Italy's  prime  sends  forth  its  fragrance  toward  us  like  blos- 
som laden  boughs,  from  whose  dusky  shadow  we  catch 
whispers  of  the  beautiful  tongue. 

The   Life  of  Michael   Angela,   NORMAN    GRIMM. 

2.     Find  the  topic  sentences  in  the  following : 

i.  To  what  extent  the  birds  or  animals  can  foretell  the 
weather  is  uncertain.  When  the  swallows  are  seen  hawking 
very  high  it  is  a  good  indication ;  the  insects  upon  which 
they  feed  venture  up  there  only  in  the  most  auspicious 
weather.  Yet  bees  will  continue  to  leave  the  hive  when  a 
storm  is  imminent.  I  am  told  that  one  of  the  most  reliable 
weather  signs  they  have  down  in  Texas  is  afforded  by  the 
ants.     The  ants  bring  their  eggs  up  out  of  their   under- 


The  Topic  Sentence  103 

ground  retreats  and  expose  them  to  the  warmth  of  the  sun 
to  be  hatched.  When  they  are  seen  carrying  them  in  again 
in  great  haste,  though  there  be  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky,  your 
walk  or  your  drive  must  be  postponed ;  a  storm  is  near  at 
hand. 

Signs  and  Seasons,  John  Burroughs. 

2.  Then  the  moving  was  an  event,  too.  A  farmer  had 
a  barn  to  move,  or  wanted  to  build  a  new  house  on  the 
site  of  the  old  one,  and  the  latter  must  be  drawn  to  one  side. 
Now  this  work  is  done  with  pulleys  and  rollers  by  a  few 
men  and  a  horse ;  then  the  building  was  drawn  by  sheer 
bovine  strength.  Every  man  that  had  a  yoke  of  cattle  in 
the  country  round  about  was  invited  to  assist.  The  barn  or 
house  was  pried  up  and  great  runners,  cut  in  the  woods, 
placed  under  it,  and  under  the  runners  were  placed  skids. 
To  these  runners  it  was  securely  chained  and  pinned ;  then 
the  cattle — stags,  steers,  and  oxen,  in  two  long  lines,  one  at 
each  runner — were  hitched  fast,  and  while  men  and  boys 
aided  with  great  levers,  the  word  to  go  was  given.  Slowly 
the  two  lines  of  bulky  cattle  straightened  and  settled  into 
their  bows ;  the  big  chains  that  wrapped  the  runners  tight- 
ened, a  dozen  or  more  "gads"  were  flourished,  a  dozen  or 
more  lusty  throats  urged  their  teams  at  the  tops  of  their 
voices,  when  there  was  a  creak  or  a  groan  as  the  building 
stirred.  Then  the  drivers  redoubled  their  efforts ;  there  was 
a  perfect  Babel  of  discordant  sounds ;  the  oxen  bent  to  the 
work,  their  eyes  bulged,  their  nostrils  distended ;  the  on- 
lookers cheered,  and  away  went  the  old  house  or  barn  as 
nimbly  as  a  boy  on  a  hand-sled.  Not  always,  however; 
sometimes  the  chains  would  break,  or  one  runner  strike  a 
rock,  and  bury  itself  in  the  earth.  There  were  generally 
enough  mishaps  or  delays  to  make  it  interesting. 

Sifjns  and  Seasons,  John  'Riti:rou<:.us. 

3.  The  life  of  a  swarm  of  bees  is  like  the  active  and 
hazardous  campaign  of  an  army;  the  ranks  are  being  con- 
tinually depleted  and  continually  recruited.  What  adven- 
tures they  have  by  flood  and  field,  and  what  hairbreadth 
escapes !  A  strong  swarm  during  the  honey  season  loses, 
on  an  average,  about  four  or  five  thousand  per  month,  or 


104  A  First  Year  English  Book 

one  hundred  and  fifty  per  day.  They  are  overwhelmed  by 
wind  and  rain,  caught  by  spiders,  benumbed  by  cold, 
crushed  by  cattle,  drowned  in  rivers  and  ponds,  and  in 
many  nameless  ways  cut  off  or  disabled.  In  the  spring  the 
principal  mortality  is  from  cold.  As  the  sun  declines  they 
get  chilled  before  they  can  reach  home.  Many  fall  down 
outside  the  hive,  unable  to  get  in  with  their  burden.  One 
may  see  them  come  utterly  spent  and  drop  helplessly  into 
the  grass  in  front  of  their  very  doors.  Before  they  can 
rest  the  cold  has  stiffened  them.  I  go  out  in  April  and  May 
and  pick  them  up  by  the  handfuls,  their  baskets  loaded  with 
pollen,  and  warm  them  in  the  sun  or  the  house,  or  by  the 
simple  heat  of  my  hand,  until  they  can  crawl  into  the  hive. 
Heat  is  their  life,  and  an  apparently  lifeless  bee  may  be 
revived  by  warming  him.  I  have  also  picked  them  up 
while  rowing  on  the  river  and  have  seen  them  safely  to 
shore 

Honey  was  a  much  more  important  article  of  food  with 
the  ancients  than  it  is  with  us.  As  they  appear  to  have  been 
unacquainted  with  sugar,  honey  no  doubt  stood  them  in 
stead.  It  is  too  rank  and  pungent  for  the  modern  taste ;  it 
soon  cloys  upon  the  palate.  It  demands  the  appetite  of 
youth,  and  the  strong,  robust  digestion  of  people  who  live 
much  in  the  open  air.  It  is  a  more  wholesome  food  than 
sugar,  and  modern  confectionery  is  poison  beside  it.  Besides 
grape  sugar,  honey  contains  manna,  mucilage,  pollen,  acid, 
and  other  vegetable  odoriferous  substances  and  juices.  It  is 
a  sugar  with  a  kind  of  wild  natural  bread  added.  The 
manna  is  of  itself  both  food  and  medicine,  and  the  pungent 
vegetable  extracts  have  rare  virtues.  Honey  promotes  the 
excretions  and  dissolves  the  glutinous  and  starchy  impedi- 
menta of  the  system. 

Hence  it  is  not  without  reason  that  with  the  ancients  a 
land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey  should  mean  a  land 
abounding  in  all  good  things ;  and  the  queen  in  the  nursery 
rhyme,  who  lingered  in  the  kitchen  to  eat  "bread  and  honey" 
while  the  "king  was  in  the  parlor  counting  out  his  money," 
was  doing  a  very  sensible  thing.  Epaminondas  is  said  to 
have  eaten  rarely  anything  but  bread  and  honey.  The  Em- 
peror Augustus  one  day  inquired  of  a  centurion  how  he 
had  kept  his  vigor  of  mind  and  body  so  long;  to  which  the 


The  Topic  Sentence  105 

veteran  replied  that  it  was  "oil  without  and  honey  within." 
(  "icero,  in  his  Old  Age  classes  honey  with  meat  and  milk 
and  cheese  as  among  the  staple  articles  with  which  a  well- 
kept  farmhouse  will  be  supplied. 

Locusts  and   Wild  Honey,  John   Burroughs. 

j.  Go  back  to  Section  VI.,  page  32,  and  find  the  topic 
sentences  in  each  paragraph. 

4.  Supply  the  topic  sentences  in  the.  following : 

1.  Even  in  the  well-watered  gardens  of  the  middle 
region,  where  the  flowers  grow  tallest,  and  where  dur- 
ing warm  weather  the  bears  wallow  and  roll,  no  evidence 
of  destruction  is  visible.  On  the  contrary,  under  Nature's 
direction,  the  massive  beasts  act  as  gardeners.  On  the 
i'orest  floor,  carpeted  with  needles  and  brush,  and  on  the 
tough  sod  of  glacier  meadows,  bears  make  no  mark ;  but 
around  the  sandy  margins  of  lakes  their  magnificent  tracks 
iorm  grand  lines  of  embroidery.  Their  well-worn  trails 
extend  along  the  main  canons  on  either  side,  and,  though 
dusty  in  some  places,  make  no  scar  on  the  landscape.  They 
bite  and  break  off  the  branches  of  some  of  the  pines  and 
oaks  to  get  the  nuts,  but  this  pruning  is  so  light  that  few 
mountaineers  ever  notice  it ;  and,  though  they  interfere  with 
the  orderly  lichen-veiled  decay  of  fallen  trees,  tearing  them 
to  pieces  to  reach  the  colonies  of  ants  that  inhabit  them,  the 
scattered  ruins  are  quickly  pressed  back  into  harmony  by 
snow  and  rain  and  overleaning  vegetation. 

2.  Of  all  the  tourists  and  travelers  who  have  vis- 
ited the  Yosemite  and  the  adjacent  mountains,  not  one  has 
been  bitten  by  a  snake  of  any  sort,  while  thousands  have  been 
charmed  by  them.  Some  of  them  vie  with  the  lizards  in 
beauty  of  color  and  dress-patterns.  Only  the  rattlesnake  is 
venomous,  and  he  carefully  keeps  his  venom  to  himself  as 
far  as  man  is  concerned,  unless  his  life  is  threatened. 

5.  Choose  one  of  the  plans  you  made  under  Exercise 
T,  page  95.  Write  a  composition  according  to  it,  taking 
care  to  begin  each  paragraph  with  a  topic  sentence. 


io6  A  First  Year  English  Book 

6.  Write  a  composition  on  one  of  the  following  sub- 
jects. Write  a  paragraph  on  each  topic  stated  in  the  topic 
sentences. 

i.     A  DESCRIPTION  OF  A  TOWN 

is  a  typical  (Illinois)  town.     (Describe  the  general 


situation,  style  of  buildings,  and  so  forth.) 

The  main  industries  are 

The  most  notable  public  buildings  are (Enumerate 

and  describe.) 

2.    THE  MOST  INTERESTING  BOOK  I  HAVE 
READ 

is  the  most  interesting  book  I  have  ever  read.     (Give 


the  reasons  why  it  is  interesting.) 

3.     WHY   I   WISH  TO   BE  A   LAWYER,   DOCTOR, 
SOLDIER 

Among  the  many   occupations   in   life   I   should   choose 
In  the  first  place  it  attracts  me,  because  it  requires 


(much)  preparation.  (Discuss  the  amount  and  hind  of 
preparation.) 

In  the  second  place  it  attracts  me  because  it  offers  oppor- 
tunity to  make  a  good  living.     (State  the  wages,  etc.) 

Finally,  it  attracts  me  because  

(Give  the  aspect  of  it  that  you  think  you  would  especially 
enjoy.) 

SECTION  VIII.     PARAGRAPH  DEVELOPMENT 

You  have  seen  that  in  the  whole  composition  you  must 
not  only  leave  out  whatever  does  not  bear  on  your  subject, 
but  you  must  also  put  in  what  does  bear  on  it.  If  a  topic 
belongs  to  your  subject,  you  must  discuss  it;  mere  mention 


Paragraph  Development  107 

of  it  is  not  sufficient.  To  mention  your  topic  and  not  dis- 
cuss it,  would  be  like  giving  your  title  but  neglecting  to 
write  your  composition. 

The  following  composition  is  faulty  because  the  second 
paragraph  merely  states  a  topic  but  does  not  treat  it : 

OUR  ROOM  IN  ROME 

We  reached  Rome  two  days  before  Easter  Sunday,  anx- 
ious to  witness  the  beautiful  Easter  service  in  St.  Peter's 
church.  As  we  drove  to  a  hotel  we  saw  many  foreigners 
in  the  streets,  but  it  did  not  occur  to  us  that  their  number 
could  affect  our  comfort  until  we  confidently  ordered  rooms. 
The  proprietor  informed  us  with  regretful  bows  that  all  his 
rooms  were  taken.  With  spirits  but  slightly  dashed,  we 
drove  to  another  hotel,  only  to  hear  the  same  words.  To 
house  after  house  we  went,  our  despair  growing,  and  our 
bill  to  the  driver  increasing.  At  last,  having  exhausted  our 
list  of  hotels  and  pensions,  we  turned  to  our  driver  for  sug- 
gestions. In  broken  English  he  said  he  thought  his  cousin 
might  take  us  in  if  we  did  not  mind  the  palazzo  being  on  a 
small  street.  When  we  said  the  street  did  not  matter,  he 
took  us  to  an  old,  marble  palace  unspeakably  dirty.  At  his 
call  a  fat,  untidy  signora  appeared,  and  after  talking  with 
him,  said  she  would  give  us  a  room. 

Never  in  my  life  did  I  see  such  a  grimy  room. 

The  first  paragraph  treats  its  topic,  the  search  for  a  room, 
at  sufficient  length.  The  second  states  a  topic,  but  does  not 
treat  it.  The  paragraph  should  be  developed  by  describing 
the  room,  which  is  the  main  interest  in  the  composition. 
Of  the  two  paragraphs,  the  second  should  be  the  longer. 

Exercises 

i.  Take  the  following  notes  and  arrange  them  under 
topics.  Add  any  material  which  is  necessary  to  the  treat- 
ment of  each  topic. 


108  A  First  Year  English  Book 

I  promised  my  cousins  to  go  to  a  picnic  in  the  woods.  I 
think  they  showed  a  great  deal  of  confidence  in  my  good- 
nature, for  they  remarked  that  as  they  were  going  to  pro- 
vide the  carriage,  and  lemonade,  and  carry  fishing-rods,  I 
could  get  the  lunch  ready.  There  were  seven  of  us.  So  I 
bought  seven  loaves  of  bread,  a  dozen  and  a  half  eggs,  a 
chocolate  cake,  and  two  pies.  Then  I  went  down  to  see 
Aunt  Annie.  I  always  disliked  picnics.  I  couldn't  see  why 
I  had  said  I  would  go  to  this.  I  like  hot  food,  and  things 
are  always  cold  at  a  picnic.  Then  the  coffee  is  always 
weak,  or  else  too  sweet.  It's  awkward  to  sit  down  around  a 
table-cloth  on  the  ground.  And  then,  green  things  are 
always  dropping  on  me.  If  there  are  little  children  along 
they  are  sure  to  get  cross  and  cry ;  or  else  they  fall  in  the 
water  and  make  their  elders  cross.  Altogether,  I  don't  see 
why  sensible  people  don't  stay  in  their  back  yards  for  the 
air,  and  eat  in  their  own  dining-rooms.  Aunt  Annie  offered 
to  give  me  a  salad.  She  said  the  very  fact  that  I  didn't 
care  to  go  should  make  me  more  particular  about  the  food 
I  took.  So  she  made  a  delicious  salad  of  fruits  and  nuts. 
She  also  added  seven  jam  tarts.  She  asked  me  what  I  was 
going  to  make  my  sandwiches  of.  I  said  ham,  and  she  sug- 
gested that  I  vary  with  lettuce  and  peanut  sandwiches. 
She  laughed  at  my  seven  loaves,  and  said  that  three  would 
be  more  than  enough.  She  told  me  to  pack  the  food  care- 
fully and  hot  to  forget  to  carry  some  drinking  glasses.  She 
said  I'd  be  sure  to  forget  something.  The  next  morning  my 
cousins  called  for  me  in  their  big  three-seated  carry-all. 
They  were  all  laughing  and  talking  as  if  they  were  going  to 
enjoy  themselves  thoroughly.  I  felt  as  if  I  should  have  a 
good  time,  too,  Mother  helped  me  in  with  my  basket  of 
food.  I  had  put  in  some  olives  and  pickles,  and  Mother  had 
exchanged  half  of  the  chocolate  cake  for  half  an  angel's 
food  cake.  There  was  enough  for  twenty  people.  We 
drove  on  rapidly  for  two  miles.  Then  one  of  the  horses  fell 
lame,  and  we  went  at  a  snail's  pace  for  two  miles.  After 
awhile,  one  of  the  boys  got  out  to  see  if  he  could  tell  what 
was  the  matter.  He  found  that  the  horse  had  a  stone  in  his 
foot.  When  it  was  removed  we  set  off  again  at  a  better 
pace.  When  we  reached  the  lake  in  the  woods  where  the 
picnic  was  to  be  held,  we  found  that  the  boys  had  forgotten 


Paragraph  Development  109 

the  fishing-rods.  So,  as  they  could  not  fish,  they  played 
games  until  it  was  time  for  lunch.  Then  we  found  that  I 
had  forgotten  the  salt  and  pepper.  I  felt  sure  more  than 
ever  that  picnics  are  not  worth  while.  They  just  serve  to 
show  what  a  poor  memory  a  person  can  hare  at  times. 

2.  Find  the  main  topics  in  the  following  selection.  Com- 
bine the  sentences  into  paragraphs,  each  of  which  shall  treat 
one  topic.  If  you  find  a  sentence  which  does  not  bear  on  the 
paragraph  topic,  omit  it. 

The  old  signs  seldom  fail, — a  red  and  angry  sunrise,  or 
flushed  clouds  at  evening.  Many  a  hope  of  rain  have  I 
seen  dashed  by  a  painted  sky  at  sunset.  There  is  truth  in 
the  old  couplet,  too: 

"If  it  rains  before  seven, 
It  will  clear  before  eleven." 

An  old  Indian  had  a  sign  for  winter :  "If  the  wind  blows 
the  snow  off  the  trees,  the  next  storm  will  be  snow ;  if  it 
rains  off,  the  next  storm  will  be  rain." 

Morning  rains  are  usually  short-lived.  Better  wait  until 
ten  o'clock. 

When  the  clouds  are  chilled,  they  turn  blue  and  rise  up. 

When  the  fog  leaves  the  mountains,  reaching  upward, 
as  if  afraid  of  being  left  behind,  the  fair  weather  is  near. 

Shoddy  clouds  are  of  little  account,  and  soon  fall  to 
pieces.  Have  your  clouds  show  a  good  strong  fiber,  and 
have  them  lined, — not  with  silver,  but  with  other  clouds  of 
a  finer  texture, — and  have  them  wadded.  It  wants  two  or 
three  thicknesses  to  get  up  a  good  rain,  especially  unless 
you  have  that  cloud-mother,  that  dim,  filmy,  nebulous  mass 
that  has  its  root  in  the  higher  regions  of  the  air,  and  is  the 
source  and  backing  of  all  storms,  your  rain  will  be  light 
indeed.  I  fear  my  reader's  jacket  is  not  thoroughly  soaked 
yet.     I  must  give  him  a  final  dash,  a  "clear-up"  shower. 

We  were  camping  in  the  primitive  woods  by  a  little  trout- 
lake  which  the  mountain  carried  high  on  his  hip,  like  a  sol- 
dier's canteen.     There  were  wives  in  the  party,  curious  to 


no  A  First  Year  English  Book 

know  what  the  lure  was  that  annually  drew  their  husbands 
to  the  woods.  The  magical  writing  on  a  trout's  back  they 
would  fain  decipher,  little  heeding  the  warning  that  what  is 
written  here  is  not  given  women  to  know. 

Our  only  tent  or  roof  was  the  sheltering  arms  of  the  great 
birches  and  maples.  What  was  sauce  for  the  gander  should 
be  sauce  for  the  goose,  too,  so  the  goose  insisted. 

A  luxurious  couch  of  boughs  upon  swinging  poles  was 
prepared,  and  the  night  should  be  not  less  welcome  than 
the  day,  which  had  indeed  been  idyllic.  (A  trout  dinner 
had  been  served  by  a  little  spring  brook,  upon  an  improvised 
table  covered  with  moss  and  decked  with  ferns,  with  straw- 
berries fn»m  a  near  clearing.) 

At  twilight  there  was  an  ominous  rumble  behind  the 
mountains.  I  was  on  the  lake  and  could  see  wdiat  was  brew- 
ing in  the  west. 

Locusts   'hiil   Wild  Honey,  John  Buurouuiis. 


The  number  of  paragraphs  in  a  composition,  or  of  topics 
in  a  subject,  depends  on  lmw  much  you  have  to  say.  If  you 
are  writing  on  a  small  scale  there  will  be  few  paragraphs;  if 
you  are  writing  on  a  large  scale,  there  will  be  many.  For 
example,  suppose  you  were  going  to  tell  about  the  boyhood 
of  Thomas  Jefferson.  If  you  were  writing  briefly,  you 
might  tell  the  story  in  one  paragraph.  If  you  had  more  in- 
formation, you  might  write  one  paragraph  on  his  parentage, 
another  on  his  schooling,  a  third  on  his  work. 

A  subject,  then,  does  not  contain  inevitably  just  so  many 
paragraphs  or  parts.  It  contains  more  or  fewer,  according 
to  the  information  you  have  about  it.  With  information  you 
see  the  possibilities  in  a  subject,  and  can  write  about  it  more 
fully. 

Xote  that  though  the  following  selections  treat  the  same 
subject  from  practically  the  same  point  of  view,  the  first 
shows  fuller  and  more  specific  information,  and  conse- 
quently has  more  paragraphs  than  the  second. 


Paragraph  Development  in 

THE   PONTE  YECCHIO 

In  all  Florence,  nothing  appeals  to  me  as  does  the  Ponte 
Vecchio, — the  Old  Bridge.  Its  long  history  stretches  back 
into  the  Roman  period  when  a  Roman  bridge  lay  across  the 
Arno,  binding  Florence  to  Rome.  In  1080,  it  was  recon- 
structed of  wood;  in  1 177  it  was  carried  away  by  a  flood, 
and  was  rebuilt  of  stone;  in  1333  another  great  inundation 
carried  it  away,  and  it  was  finally  rebuilt  of  stone  with  three 
arches,  by  the  great  architect,  Taddeo  Gaddi,  and  today  it 
stands  as  firm,  apparently,  as  it  was  the  day  he  finished  it. 
Little  shops  are  built  upon  the  bridge  on  both  sides  of  the 
roadway  except  in  the  exact  middle,  where,  on  each  side, 
there  is  the  width  of  one  shop.  Through  these  spaces,  as 
through  windows,  one  can  look  up  and  down  the  Arno,  and 
see  this  beautiful  part  of  Florence  as  though  it  were  framed. 
The  little  shops  were  occupied  from  1422  till  the  middle  of 
the  sixteenth  century  by  butchers.  Then  the  great  De 
Medici,  Cosmo  I.,  gave  ';hem  to  the  goldsmiths,  who  have 
used  them  ever  since  for  the  display  of  jewelry. 

But  the  mere  history  of  the  bridge  is  nothing  to  what  has 
passed  over  it.  It  heard  the  tramp  of  Roman  legionaries, 
popes  and  emperors,  kings  and  queens,  generals  and  hire- 
lings. It  heard  the  triumphal  march  of  feet  in  1288  when 
the  foundations  of  the  cathedral  were  laid, — that  great 
cathedral  which  was  finished  only  in  1887.  It  heard  the 
hurried  tread  of  funerals  in  the  dreadful  year  of  the  Black 
Death,  when  100,000  inhabitants  died.  Over  it  the  Guelphs 
and  Ghibellines  fought  their  terrible  feud  that  involved 
nearly  all  Florence  in  bloodshed.  Over  it  passed  the  gen- 
erations of  the  Medici,  to  whose  intrigues  Florence  owed 
the  final  loss  of  her  republican  rights.  The  pageant  of  the 
life  of  the  nation  has  gone  over  the  bridge,  and  much  pri- 
vate history,  too.  Here  Cosmo  I.  saw  the  beautiful  Camilla 
Martelli,  whom  he  afterwards  married,  leaning  out  of  her 
father's  shop, — the  loveliest  jewel  there.  And  many  a  time 
she  longed  for  the  simple  life  of  her  girlhood,  when,  after 
Cosmo's  death,  his  successor  imprisoned  her  till  she  died 
an  imbecile.  Across  the  bridge  many  a  time  passed  the  great 
thinkers  and  poets  and  artists  of  Florence, — Galileo  and 
Machiavelli.  Dante  and  Giotto,  and  Michael  Angelo.     Many 


112  A  First  Year  English  Book 

and  many  a  time  Michael  Angelo  must  have  leaned  upon 
the  balustrade  of  the  bridge  watching  the  flow  of  the  green 
Arno,  brooding  over  his  verses,  planning  the  fortifica- 
tions of  Florence,  or  dreaming  of  his  dome  of  St.  Peter's. 
The  crowning  glory  of  the  Ponte  Vecchio  is  that  its  floor 
bore  the  tread  of  this  great  man  of  Florence. 

Maude  Radford  Warren. 


THE  OLD  BRIDGE  AT  FLORENCE 

Taddeo  Gaddi  built  me,  I  am  old, 

Five  centuries  old.     I  plant  my  feet  of  stone 

Upon  the  Arno  as  St.  Michael's  own 

Was  planted  on  the  dragon.     Fold  by  fold 

Beneath  me  as  it  struggles,  I  behold 

Its  glistening  scales.     Twice  hath  it  overthrown 

My  kindred  and  companions.     Me  alone 

It  moveth  not,  but  is  by  me  controlled. 

I  can  remember  when  the  Medici 

Were  driven  from  Florence ;  longer  still  ago 

The  final  wars  of  Ghibelline  and  Guelph. 

Florence  adorns  me  with  her  jewelry; 

And  when  I  think  that  Michael  Angelo 

Hath  leaned  on  me,  I  glory  in  myself. 

Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow, 


PART    III 

SEEING    HI  III    THE    MIND'S    EYE 

SECTION  I.     DESCRIBING  FROM  MEMORY 

There  are  few  of  us  who  have  not  at  times  been  subject 
to  dreams  which  have  seemed  so  real  that  it  has  been  hard 
to  shake  off  their  impression.  Some  have  been  pursued  by  a 
certain  definite  kind  of  bad  dream  ;  night  after  night  we  have 
met  strange  creatures,  or  we  have  fallen  from  great  heights, 
to  wake  just  as  we  were  about  to  strike  the  ground.  Some 
have  had  certain  pleasant  dreams,  which  became,  so  to  say, 
habitual.  Some,  perhaps,  have  dreamed  poetry,  but  failed 
to  remember  it  after  waking.  There  is  one  remarkable  in- 
stance of  a  beautiful  poem — Kitbla  Khan — which  came  to 
Samuel  Taylor  Coleridge  in  a  dream.  When  he  woke  he 
began  writing  it  down,  but  was  interrupted  and  was  never 
able  to  finish  the  fragment.  You  will  find  the  beginning  of 
it  on  page  138.  Robert  Louis  Stevenson  sometimes  dreamed 
out  stories,  which  were  characterized  by  clearness  of  detail, 
and  neatness  of  structure. 

The  following  is  Stevenson's  account  of  his  dreams  when 
he  was  a  youth,  before  his  mind  was  trained  in  the  craft  of 
story-telling.  He  was,  it  should  be  said,  of  a  nervous  consti- 
tution, and  was  never  in  good  health. 

DREAMS 

Upon  these  grounds,  there  are  some  of  us  who  claim  to 
have  lived  longer  and  more  richly  than  our  neighbors ;  when 
they  lay  asleep  they  claim  they  were  still  active ;  and  among 

113 


ii4  A  Fust  Year  English  Book 

the  treasures  of  memory  that  all  men  review  for  their  amuse- 
ment, they  count  in  no  second  place  the  harvests  of  their 
dreams.  There  is  one  of  this  kind  whom  I  have  in  my  eye, 
and  whose  case  is  perhaps  unusual  enough  to  be  described. 
He  was  from  a  child  an  ardent  and  uncomfortable  dreamer. 
When  he  had  a  touch  of  fever  at  night,  and  the  room 
swelled  and  shrank,  and  his  clothes,  hanging  on  a  nail,  now 
loomed  up  instant  to  the  bigness  of  a  church,  and  now  drew 
away  into  a  horror  of  infinite  distance  and  infinite  littleness, 
the  poor  soul  was  very  well  aware  of  what  must  follow. 
and  struggled  hard  against  the  approaches  of  that  slumber 
which  was  the  beginning  of  Sorrows.  Bui  his  struggles 
were  m  vain;  sooner  or  later  the  night-hag  would  have  him 
by  the  throat,  and  pluck  him,  struggling  and  ^creaming, 
from  his  sleep.  His  dreams  were  at  times  commonplace 
enough,  at  times  very  strange;  at  times  they  were  almost 
formless;  he  would  be  haunted,  for  instance,  by  nothing 
more  definite  than  a  certain  hue  of  brown,  which  he  did  not 
mind  in  the  least  while  he  was  awake,  but  feared  and  loathed 
while  he  was  dreaming;  at  times,  again,  they  took  on  every 
detail  of  circumstance,  as  when  once  he  supposed  he  must 
swallow  the  populous  world,  and  awoke  screaming  with  the 
horror  of  the  thought. 

These  were  extremely  poor  experiences,  on  the  whole  ;  and 
at  that  time  of  life  my  dreamer  would  have  very  willingly 
parted  with  his  power  of  dreams.  Hut  presently,  in  the 
course  of  his  growth,  the  cries  and  physical  contortions 
passed  away,  seemingly  forever;  his  visions  were  still  for 
the  most  part  miserable,  but  they  were  more  constantly  sup- 
ported ;  and  he  would  awake  with  no  more  extreme  symp- 
tom than  a  living  heart,  a  freezing  scalp,  cold  sweats,  and 
the  speechless  midnight  fear.  I  lis  dreams,  too,  as  befitted 
a  mind  better  stocked  with  particulars,  became  more  circum- 
stantial, and  had  more  the  air  and  continuity  of  life.  The 
look  of  the  world  beginning  to  take  hold  on  his  attention, 
scenery  came  to  play  a  part  in  his  sleeping  as  well  as  his 
waking  thoughts,  so  that  he  could  take  long  uneventful 
journeys  and  see  strange  towns  and  beautiful  places  as  he 
lav  in  bed.  And,  what  is  more  significant,  an  odd  taste  that 
he  had  for  the  Georgian  costume  and  for  stories  laid  in  that 
period  of  English  history,  began  to  rule  the  features  of  his 


Describing  from  Memory  i*5 

dreams ;  so  that  he  masqueraded  there  in  a  three-cornered 
hat,  and  was  much  engaged  with  Jacobite  conspiracy  be- 
tween the  hour  for  bed  and  that  for  breakfast.  About  the 
same  time  he  began  to  read  in  his  dreams — tales,  for  the 
most  part,  and  for  the  most  part  after  the  manner  of  G.  P. 
R.  James,  but  so  incredibly  more  vivid  and  moving  than 
any  printed  book,  that  he  has  ever  since  been  malcontent 
with  literature. 

A  Chapter  on  Dreams,  Eobert  Louis  Stevenson. 

Exercises 

1.  Oral.  What  are  the  causes  of  dreams?  Have  you 
heard  of  any  superstition  as  to  their  meaning?  Have  you 
read  of  any  cases  where  dreams  have  influenced  a  man's  life  ? 

2.  Write  a  brief  theme  telling  some  of  your  own  dreams. 

References  eor  Suggestive  Reading 

The  Dream  of  Clarence  in  Richard  III.  Byron's  The 
Dream.  Jacob's  Dream,  in  Genesis.  Jack  London's  Be- 
fore Adam. 

SECTION    IT.     DESCRIBING    FROM    MEMORY 

Few  writers  of  fiction  describe  scenes  more  vividly,  with 
more  faithful  detail,  than  did  Charles  Dickens.  When  we 
have  read  one  of  his  books  we  know  the  homes  of  his  char- 
acters as  well  as  if  we  had  seen  them.  The  Peerybingles' 
kitchen,  the  toymaker's  shop,  we  can  see  as  if  we  were  in 
them.  Why  was  Dickens  able  to  make  us  see  all  this  ?  Be- 
cause he  had  a  remarkably  accurate  observation,  and  a  re- 
markably accurate  memory.  He  himself  said  that  he  never 
went  into  a  room,  even  for  a  few  moments,  that  he  did  not 
remember  what  the  room  contained.  And  this  power  is 
characteristic  of  most  great  writers.  Men  of  thought,  phi- 
losophers and  mathematicians,  often  pay  little  attention  to 
their  surroundings ;  they  are  absent-minded,  like  Archime- 
des ;  but  the  writer  is  usually,  as  a  great  French  man  of  let- 


n6  A  First  Year  English  Book 

ters  said  of  himself,  "a  man   for   whom   the  visihle   world 
exists." 


Exercises 

Oral  OR  WRITTEN.  Descrihe  four  of  the  following  scenes 
as  fully  and  accurately  as  you  can,  describing  color  as  well 
as  form : 

i.     Descrihe  the  breakfast  table  this  morning. 

2.  Describe  what  you  saw  from  your  scat  in  church  Sun- 
day morning. 

3.  Describe  the  view  from  your  window. 

4.  Describe  the  front  of  your  house. 

5.  Describe  Launcelot  as  he  rode  by  to  Camelot ;  the  Lady 
of  Shalott  in  her  room ;  what  she  saw  as  she  looked  from 
her  window;  describe  her  in  the  boat  drifting  down  to 
Camelot.     See  the  picture  opposite  page  80. 

6.  Describe  Queen  Mab's  coach ;  the  Feast  of  Oberon ; 
the  fairies'  funeral. 

7.  Describe  a  favorite  character  from  fiction  :  Huckle- 
berry Finn,  or  King  Arthur,  or  Leatherstocking,  or  The 
Red  Cross  Knight,  or  any  other. 

8.  Describe  some  familiar  flower  or  tree  or  animal. 

9.  Describe  what  Enoch  Arden  saw  as  he  sat  on  the  cliff 
watching  for  a  ship. 

10.  Describe  the  room  of  Priscilla;  of  John  Alden. 

11.  Describe  Miles  Standish;  Rip  Van  Winkle,  his  wife, 
his  dog;  Icliabod  Crane. 


SECTION  III.    FORECASTING  CURRENT  EVENTS 
It  has  been  well  said  that  the  secret  of  success  is  interest. 

"He  who  takes  interest  in  a  thing,  will  invariably  develop 
a  good  memory  regarding  everything  in  relation  to  that 
thing.  He  will  be  eloquent  on  it;  he  will  eventually  prove 
inventive,  at  any  rate  suggestive,  with  regard  to  it.  The 
keener  the  interest,  the  more  likely  is  the  person  entertain- 


Forecasting   Current   Events  117 

ing  it  to  advance  knowledge,  to  do  something  striking  and 
successful  concerning  the  object  of  his  interest. 

"Now  a  good  way  of  increasing  your  interest  and  at  the 
same  time  increasing  your  power  to  think,  is  the  following : 
Whenever  you  read  something  in  your  daily  paper  which, 
either  as  a  political  or  social  event,  arrests  your  momentary 
attention,  try  to  think  out  how  it  will  develop  in  the  near 
future,  by  force  of  your  own  reflections.  Thus,  e.  g.,  at 
present  there  is  a  conflict  between  Turkey  and  Great  Britain 
in  reference  to  the  boundary  of  Egypt  in  the  Sinai  Penin- 
sula. Try  to  place  yourself,  first  on  the  standpoint  of  the 
Turk,  arguing  out  his  case  and  possible  rights  as  completely 
as  you  can ;  then  argue  out  the  case  from  the  standpoint  of 
Great  Britain ;  finally,  come  to  a  conclusion ;  bring  your- 
self to  predict  the  result  of  the  conflict. 

"In  doing  so,  you  will  at  once  take  a  more  intense  interest 
in  the  Anglo-Turkish  conflict.  By  acquiring  that  interest, 
you  will  learn  to  view  with  attention  phases  of  life  different 
from  your  own.  You  will  learn  to  see.  Once  you  have 
made  some  headway  in  this  great  art  of  seeing  things  and 
into  things,  you  have  secured  possession  of  one  of  the  most 
essential  factors  of  success." 

Success  Among  Men,  Emil  Reich. 


Exercises 

7.  Read  in  a  newspaper,  or  The  Outlook,  or  The  Re- 
view of  Reviews  an  account  of  one  or  two  situations  im- 
portant now. 

2.  What  is  the  gist  of  the  situation  in  each  of  these  cases? 
the  most  important  conditions?  What  are  the  possible  re- 
sults ?  Who  are  the  most  important  actors  in  it  ?  What  lines 
of  action  are  possible  to  them  in  the  case  ?  What  would 
you  do  if  you  were  one  of  them? 

5.  Write  a  theme,  summing  up  a  situation  briefly,  and 
telling  how  you  think  the  matter  will  come  out.  Give  the 
reasons  for  your  conjecture. 


Ii8  A  First  Year  English  Book 

SECTION  IV.    AVOID  REPETITH  >N  (  >F  W<  »RDS 

There  is  one  fault  which  is  especially  liable  to  appear  in 
description,  namely,  the  unnecessar}  repetition  of  words. 
I  fere  is  an  example  : 

On  one  side  of  the  room  was  a  table,  and  at  the  right 
of  that  was  a  settle.  At  the  left  of  the  settle  stood  a  great 
arm  chair ;  in  the  chair  were  red  cushions.  In  the  center 
of  the  room  stood  an  oak  table  on  which  stood  a  heavy  gilt 
goblet ;  beside  it  was  an  open  book.  On  the  other  side  of 
the  room  was  the  great  fireplace.  In  front  of  it  was  a  row 
of  apples  roasting  before  the  fire. 

Such  indications  of  place  as  "at  the  right,"  "at  the  left" 
are  necessary  to  clearness ;  but  a  little  care  in  arrangement 
of  words  and  in  structure  of  the  sentence  will  prevent  the 
monotonous  repetition  of  them.  Such  words  as  "was"  and 
"stood"  can  be  varied,  or  avoided  by  subordination.  (Sec 
sentence  study,  page  jp.) 

Note  how  the  author  of  the  following  selection  avoids 
such  repetition : 

Here,  then,  was  a  wide  and  reasonably  lofty  hall,  extend- 
ing through  the  whole  depth  of  the  house,  and  forming  a 
medium  of  general  communication,  more  or  less  directly, 
with  all  the  other  apartments.  At  one  extremity,  this  spa- 
cious room  was  lighted  by  the  windows  of  the  two  towers, 
which  formed  a  small  recess  on  either  side  of  the  portal. 
At  the  other  end,  though  partly  muhied  by  the  curtain,  it 
was  more  powerfully  illuminated  by  one  of  those  embowed 
hall-windows  which  we  read  of  in  old  books,  and  which  was 
provided  with  a  deep  and  cushioned  seat.  Here,  on  the 
cushion,  lay  a  folio  tome,  probably  of  the  chronicles  of  Eng- 
land or  other  such  substantial  literature ;  even  as,  in  our 
own  days,  we  scatter  gilded  volumes  on  the  center-table,  to  be 
turned  over  by  the  casual  guest.  The  furniture  of  the  hall 
consisted  of  some  ponderous  chairs,  the  backs  of  which  were 
elaborately  carved  with  wreaths  of  oaken  flowers ;  and  like- 
wise a  table  in  the  same  taste ;  the  whole  being  of  Eliza- 


Describing  from  Imagination  119 

bethan  age,  or  perhaps  earlier,  and  heirlooms,  transferred 
hither  from  the  governor's  paternal  home.  On  the  table — 
in  token  that  the  sentiment  of  'old  English  hospitality  had 
not  been  left  behind — stood  a  large  pewter  tankard. 

The  Scarlet  Letter,  Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 

Exercises 

1.  Take  these  properties — an  interior  with  fireplace,  set- 
tle, armchair,  table,  goblet,  open  book,  row  of  roasting 
apples — and  write  a  description,  avoiding  unnecessary  repeti- 
tion of  words. 

2.  Describe  the  picture  opposite  page  15. 

SECTION  V.     DESCRIBING  FROM  IMAGINATION 

Another  way  of  finding  something  to  write  about  is  by 
telling  what  you  see  with  the  mind's  eye,  that  is,  with  your 
imagination.  Some  of  the  most  useful  discoveries  that  were 
ever  made  were  not  found  first  with  the  eyes,  but  were  first 
seen  by  the  imagination.  It  was  only  an  apple  falling  which 
Newton  saw,  but  his  imagination  saw  a  universe  held  to- 
gether by  law.  Moreover,  some  of  the  most  beautiful 
things  in  the  world  were  made  by  the  imagination— pictures 
like  The  Angelas,  and  poems  like  The  Lady  of  Shalott. 

Of  course,  your  imagination  must  use  what  you  have 
really  seen.  But  you  can  build  up  and  combine  so  as  to 
produce  a  new  thing.  Hawthorne  had  seen  pictures  of  the 
Puritans ;  he  had  seen  their  clothes,  furniture,  and  banners. 
Out  of  all  these,  he  made  such  stories  as  The  Gray  Cham- 
pion, or  Endicott  and  the  Red  Cross. 

You  can  not  only  improve  your  writing  by  exercising  your 
imagination,  but  you  can  also  give  yourself  much  pleasure. 
You  are  walking  to  school  and  you  see  a  horse  and  wagon 
placidly  ambling  down  the  road  with  no  driver.  As  you 
walk  on,  you  can  imagine  what  sort  of  man  the  driver  is, 


120  ./  First  Year  English  Book 

what  he  wears,  where  he  is  going,  where  he  is  at  present, 
what  he  will  do  when  he  finds  the  horse  gone.  Or,  as  yon 
near  a  clump  of  woods,  you  see  a  line  of  blue  .smoke.  Sup- 
pose that  should  indicate  a  gypsy  camp.  Ybu  shut  your 
eyes  and  see  men  with  swarthy  faces  and  full  black  beards, 
and  women  with  large,  dark  eyes,  gleaming  teeth,  heavy 
gold  ear-rings,  and  gay  handkerchiefs  around   their   necks. 

You  see  a  black  pot  over  the  fire,  and  half  a  dozen  children 
and  dogs  playing  nearby.  Perhaps  you  see  how  the  men 
look  as  they  walk  about. 

At  every  opportunity,  then,  you  should  see  with  the 
mind's  eye,  you  should  exercise  your  imagination.  There 
is  an  added  pleasure  in  the  fact  that  you  see  what  nobody 
else  sees.  If  you  write  down  your  impressions  and  com- 
pare them  with  your  neighbor's,  you  will  find  many  differ- 
ence-. Suppose  that  you  are  told  to  picture  to  yourself 
an  untidy  hoy  who  always  comes  late  to  school.  You  see 
him  as  he  enters  the  door  of  the  schoolroom;  and  you  might 
write  as  folic  .\\  s : 

Jimmy  was  the  laziest  boy  I  ever  knew.  lie  would  sleep 
so  late  in  the  morning  that  his  hreakfast  was  cold  when  he 
came  yawning  down  stairs,  his  curly  mop  of  yellow  hair  all 
tangled,  his  brown  eyes  half  shut  with  sleep.  As  he  liked 
to  eat,  he  would  linger  so  long  over  breakfast  that  the  last 
hell  for  school  would  ring  before  he  set  off.  But  he  never 
hurried.  He  would  open  the  schoolroom  door  at  five  min- 
utes past  nine,  looking  at  the  teacher,  while  we  looked  at 
him.  His  jacket  would  he  unbuttoned;  probably  he  would 
have  left  off  his  waistcoat,  and  maybe  his  shirt  would  ln- 
pinned  instead  of  buttoned.  His  trousers  would  be  shabby 
and  especially  worn  at  the  knees.  His  stockings  would  be 
full  of  holes  and  his  shoes  unlaced.  All  the  time  he  would 
be  swinging  back  and  forth  in  his  dirty  right  hand  a  tattered 
book. 

The  student  in  the  seat  next  you  might  write : 


THE  PIED  PIPER  OE  HAMELIN 


Describing  from  Imagination  121 

Of  all  the  unlucky  people  in  our  town  Martin  Lane  is 
surely  the  unluckiest.  He  is  well-meaning,  but  all  his  good 
intentions  come  to  nothing  because  he  is  absent-minded. 
He  is  absent-minded  because  he  has  inventive  genius.  But 
so  far,  his  genius  has  resulted  only  in  making  him  always 
untidy  and  always  late  for  school.  His  appearance  in  our 
schoolroom  door  at  half-past  nine  yesterday  was  typical. 
He  came  breathless,  because  he  did  not  want  to  be  late. 
There  he  stood,  his  yellow  hair  all  disheveled  by  his  run- 
ning, one  lock  sticking  straight  out  at  the  side,  showing 
where  he  had  singed  it  short  in  making  some  experiment. 
His  blue  eyes  looked  very  round  and  staring,  partly  because 
he  was  worried  at  being  late  and  partly  because  he  had 
singed  off  his  eyebrows  and  eyelashes  in  this  same  experi- 
ment. He  had  forgotten  his  collar,  and  his  brown  coat  and 
waistcoat  were  full  of  little  holes  and  singed  places  where 
he  had  dropped  chemicals,  and  they  were  without  buttons, 
for  he  had  cut  these  off  for  some  purpose  or  other.  The 
bottom  of  one  of  his  trouser  legs  was  cut  almost  into  rib- 
bons. One  of  his  stockings  was  black,  and  one  brown, 
showing  that  he  had  put  them  on  while  he  was  in  a  brown 
study.  One  foot  was  in  a  carpet  slipper,  because  he  had 
burned  his  heel  in  some  lime.  Altogether,  he  looked  as 
untidy  and  mixed  up  as  a  scarecrow. 


Note  that  each  of  the  writers  has  a  different  picture  of 
the  untidy  boy  who  is  always  late.  Which  picture  is  more 
vivid?    Which  introduces  details  that  seem  more  lifelike? 

Exercises 

1.  Oral.  Can  you  read  a  person's  character  from  his 
appearance,  his  belongings  and  surroundings  ?  Are  you 
sometimes  deceived  by  appearances  ?     Give  examples. 

2.  Write  descriptions  of  the  following: 

1.  Suppose  that  you  could  build  a  house,  with  grounds, 
situation,  everything  just  as  you  would  like;  describe. 


122  A  First  Year  English  Book 

2.  You  have  found  a  knife  with  a  hacked  handle  and  a 
broken  blade ;  describe  the  boy  who  lost  it. 

3.  Describe  a  room  so  that  it  will  be  recognizable  as  a 
sitting  room  on  a  rainy  Sunday  morning  in   November. 

4.  Describe  a  schoolroom  so  a-  to  -how  that  it  is  ready 
for  the  closing  exercises  of  the  year. 

5.  Suppose  that  you  could  spend  two  weeks  of  youi 
vacation  just  as  you  like;  describe  your  experience  fully. 

6.  Suppose  someone  had  given  you  three  thousand  dol- 
lars; how  could  you  use  it  most  wisely? 

7.  A  picnic  has  been  held  in  the  woods;  what  are  the 
signs,  and  what  do  they  tell  yon  of  the  picnickers? 

8.  Describe  a  kitchen  so  as  to  show  that  it  is  a  Thanks- 
giving morning. 

9.  Describe  the  sitting  room  of  a  house  so  as  to  show 
that  it  is  Christmas  Eve. 

10.  Describe  a  group  of  boys  and  girls  who  are  hazel- 
nutting,  and  are  resting  before  they  set  out  for  home. 

11.  You  see  a  girl's  room,  furnished  in  blue;  dainty  mus- 
lin curtains:  a  willow  chair;  a  picture  of  Lincoln  on  the 
wall ;  open  on  the  table  a  large  picture  book,  bound  in  red 
morocco;  on  the  floor  a  blue  hair  ribbon,  an  open  letter, 
and  a  picture  postal  card  from  London.  Tell  all  you  can 
about  the  girl. 

5.  Oral.  Describe  a  man  and  his  surroundings  so  that 
it  will  be  evident  that  he  is  a  mason  ;  a  doctor ;  a  sculptor ; 
a  painter ;  a  railroad  conductor ;  a  street  car  conductor ;  a 
sailor;  an  army  officer;  a  blacksmith;  a  miner. 

4.  Oral.  Describe  a  woman  who  is  a  milliner ;  a  nurse ; 
a  sister  of  a  religious  order. 

5.  Describe  a  scene  so  as  to  show  that  it  is  eaWy  spring; 
late  autumn ;  early  morning  in  summer. 


Castles  in  Spain  123 

SECTION  VL  CASTLES  IN  SPAIN 

Power  to  imagine  is  one  of  the  greatest  of  our  faculties. 
Before  an  actor  can  act  his  part,  he  must  first  imagine  it. 
Before  the  painter  makes  his  picture  or  groups  his  models, 
he  must  see  in  his  mind  what  he  afterwards  makes  visible 
to  the  world.  Before  the  business  man  or  the  captain  of 
industry  builds  up  a  great  enterprise,  he  first  sees  it  in  his 
mind,  together  with  the  means  by  which  he  can  realize  his 
vision.  This  power  of  inward  vision,  like  all  our  powers, 
is  a  matter  of  growth,  and  growth  comes  by  exercise. 


Read  the  following  imaginative  sketch : 

On  the  fifth  day  of  the  moon,  which  according  to  the  cus- 
tom of  my  forefathers  I  always  keep  holy,  after  having 
washed  myself,  and  offered  up  my  morning  devotions,  I 
ascended  the  high  hills  of  Bagdat,  in  order  to  pass  the  rest 
of  the  day  in  meditation  and  prayer.  As  I  was  here  airing 
myself  on  the  tops  of  the  mountains,  I  fell  into  a  profound 
contemplation  on  the  vanity  of  human  life ;  and  passing 
from  one  thought  to  another,  "Surely,"  said  I,  "man  is  but 
a  shadow  and  life'a  dream."  Whilst  I  was  thus  musing,  I 
cast  my  eyes  towards  the  summit  of  a  rock  that  was  not  far 
from  me,  where  I  discovered  one  in  the  habit  of  a  shepherd, 
with  a  musical  instrument  in  his  hand.  As  I  looked  upon 
him  he  applied  it  to  his  lips,  and  began  to  play  upon  it. 
The  sound  of  it  was  exceedingly  sweet,  and  wrought  into  a 
variety  of  tunes  that  were  inexpressibly  melodious,  and  alto- 
gether different  from  anything  I  had  ever  heard. 

I  had  been  often  told  that  the  rock  before  me  was  the 
haunt  of  a  Genius ;  and  that  several  had  been  entertained  by 
music  who  had  passed  by  it,  but  never  heard  that  the  mu- 
sician had  before  made  himself  visible.  When  he  had  raised 
my  thoughts  by  those  transporting  airs  which  he  played  to 
taste  the  pleasures  of  his  conversation,  as  I  looked  upon  him 
like  one  astonished,  he  beckoned  to  me,  and  by  the  waving 
of  his  hand  directed  me  to  approach  the  place  where  he  sat. 


i_'4  A.  First  Year  English  Book 

I  drew  near  with  thai  reverence  which  is  due  to  a  superior 
nature;  and  as  my  hearing  \\  is  entirely  subdued  by  the  cap- 
tivating strains  1  had  heard.  I  fell  down  at  his  feet  and  wept. 
The  Genius  smiled  upon  me  with  a  look  oi  compassion  and 
affability  that  familiarized  him  to  my  imagination,  and  at 
once  dispelled  all  the  fears  and  apprehensions  with  which 
1  approached  him.  He  lifted  me  from  the  ground,  and  tak- 
ing me  by  the  hand,  "Mir/a.'*  said  he.  "I  have  heard  thee  in 
thy  soliloquies;  follow  me." 

He  then  led  me  to  the  highest  pinnacle  of  the  rock,  and 
placing  me  on  the  top  oi  it.  "Cast  thy  eyes  eastward,"  said 
lie.  "and  tell  me  what  thou  seest."  "I  see."  said  1,  *'a  huge 
valley  ami  a  prodigious  tide  oi  water  rolling  through  it." 
"The  valley  that  thou  seest."  said  he.  "is  the  Vale  of  Misery, 
and  the  tide  of  water  that  thou  seest  IS  part  oi  the  great  tide 
oi  Eternity."  "What  is  the  reason."  said  \,  "that  the  tide 
I  see  rises  out  oi  a  thick  mist  at  one  end,  and  again  loses 
it-elf  in  a  thick  mist  at  the  other?"  "What  thou  seest," 
said  he.  "is  that  portion  of  Eternity  which  is  called  Time. 
measured  out  by  the  sun,  and  reaching  from  the  beginning 
of  the  world  to  its  consummation.  Examine  now."  said  he, 
"this  sea  that  is  thus  hounded  with  darkness  at  both  ends, 
and  tell  me  what  thou  discoverest  in  it."  "1  see  a  bridge," 
said  1,  "standing  in  the  midst  of  the  tide."  "The  bridge 
thou  seest,"  said  he.  "is  human  life;  consider  it  attentively." 
Upon  a  more  leisurely  survey  of  it.  I  found  that  it  consisted 
of  threescore  and  ten  entire  arches,  with  several  hroken 
arches,  which  added  to  those  that  were  entire,  made  up  the 
numher  about  an  hundred.  As  1  was  counting  the  arches, 
the  Genius  told  me  that  this  bridge  consisted  at  first  of  a 
thousand  arches:  but  that  a  great  flood  swept  away  the  rest, 
and  left  the  bridge  in  the  ruinous  condition  I  now  beheld 
it.  "But  tell  me  farther,"  said  he,  "what  thou  discoverest 
on  it."  "I  see  multitudes  of  people  passing  over  it."  said 
I,  "and  a  black  cloud  hanging  on  each  end  of  it."  As  T 
looked  more  attentively,  I  saw  several  of  the  passengers 
dropping  through  the  bridge  into  the  great  tide  that  flowed 
underneath  it :  and  upon  farther  examination,  perceived 
there  were  innumerable  trap-doors  that  lay  concealed  in  the 
bridge,  which  the  passengers  no  sooner  trod  upon,  but  they 
fell  through  them  into  the  title,  and  immediately  disappeared. 


Castles  in  Spain  125 

These  hiddei  pitfalls  were  set  very  thick  at  the  entrance  of 
the  bridge,  /so  that  throngs  of  people  no  sooner  broke 
through  the/cloud,  but  many  of  them  fell  into  them.  They 
grew  thinner  towards  the  middle,  but  multiplied  and  lay 
r  together  towards  the  end  of  the  arches  that  were 
entire.     .     .     . 

"Look  no  more,"  said  he  (the  Genius),  "on  man  in  the 
first  stage  of  his  existence ;  but  cast  thine  eye  on  that  thick 
mist  into  which  the  tide  bears  the  several  generations  of 
mortals  that  fall  into  it."  I  directed  my  sight  as  I 
ordered,  and  I  saw  the  valley  opening  at  the  farther  end, 
and  spreading  forth  into  an  immense  ocean,  that  had  a  huge 
rock  of  adamant  running  through  the  midst  of  it,  and 
dividing  it  into  two  equal  parts.  The  clouds  still  rested  on 
one-half  of  it,  insomuch  that  I  could  discover  nothing  in  it; 
but  the  other  appeared  to  me  a  vast  .ocean,  planted  with 
innumerable  islands,  that  were  covered  with  fruits  and  flow- 
ers, and  interwoven  with  a  thousand  little  shining  seas  that 
ran  among  them.  I  could  see  persons  dressed  in  glorious 
habits  with  garlands  upon  their  heads,  passing  among  the 
trees,  lying  down  by  the  sides  of  fountains,  or  resting  on 
beds  of  flowers ;  and  I  could  hear  a  confused  harmony  of 
singing  birds,  falling  waters,  human  voices,  and  musical 
instruments.  Gladness  grew  upon  me  at  the  discovery  of 
so  delightful  a  scene.  I  wished  for  the  wings  of  an  eagle, 
that  I  might  fly  away  to  those  happy  seats ;  but  the  Genius 
told  me  there  was  no  passage  to  them,  except  through  the 
gates  of  death  that  I  saw  opening  every  moment  upon  the 
bridge.     .     .     . 

Tht    Vision  of  Mirza,  Addi.sox. 

References  for  Suggestive  Reading 

Tennyson's  Recollections  of  the  Arabian  Xights.     Ken- 
neth Grahame's  Dream  Days. 

Exercises 

/.     Write  a  theme  describing  some  of  your  "castles  in 
Spain." 

2.     Suppose  that  you  are  a  young  man  who  has  gone  to 


126  A  First  Year  English  Book 

the  Klondike.     Write  a  letter  home  describing'  your  hard- 
ships and  your  prospects. 

5.  You  are  doing  charity  work  in  a  great  city.  Write 
a  letter  home. 

4.  You  are  shipwrecked  on  a  desert  island.  Recount 
your  experiences  until  you  arc  rescued. 

5.  Suppose  you  could  work  a  great  reform  in  the  world. 
Tell  the  story  of  your  achievement. 

6.  From  the  situations  given  below,  choose  one  and  \\  rite 
a  story  of  what  happens.  Think  over  the  subject  carefully, 
so  that  you  can  see  exactly  how  the  scene  looks  and  what 
is  happening.  Then  write  in  a  straightforward  way,  leav- 
ing out  nothing  that  your  readers  ought  to  understand. 

1.  A  railroad  station.  A  little  girl  from  the  country 
who  has  never  been  in  a  station  before,  enters  timidly, 
alone. 

2.  At  church  on  a  warm  day.  The  beads  of  the  con- 
gregation are  all  turned  towards  the  door ;  the  clergyman 
has  stopped  in  his  sermon. 

3.  A  boy  stands  on  the  step  of  a  house  now  empty,  bis 
home  till  the  death  of  his  parents  the  week  before.  He  has 
in  his  hand  an  old  valise  and  a  worn  umbrella. 

4.  A  little  store  where  school  supplies  and  confection- 
ery are  sold.  Three  children  stand  at  a  counter  in  the  back 
of  the  room,  while  an  old  woman  is  searching  on  some 
shelves  at  the  side.  Beneath  the  counter  crouches  a  boy, 
his  hand  in  his  pocket,  peering  cautiously  at  the  old  woman. 

7.  Study  the  picture  opposite  page  15  ;  write  a  conversa- 
tion between  two  of  the  boys. 

8.  Study  the  following  dialogue.  How  do  the  people 
look  ?  What  are  their  ages  ?  Is  the  first  speaker  a  man  ? 
Are  they  standing  or  sitting  ?  Where  ?  Do  they  make  any 
gestures  or  movements  as  they  talk?  Rewrite,  making  all 
this  perfectly  clear. 


Avoid  Shifts  in  Sentence  Structure  127 

"So  you  want  to  make  fifty  dollars,  and  you  think  I  can 
help  you?  What  does  a  boy  of  your  age  want  with  fifty 
dollars?" 

"I  want  twenty-five  of  it  to  get  a  new  sewing-machine  for 
my  mother,  and  twenty-five  to  buy  a  bicycle  so  that  I  can 
have  a  newspaper  route." 

"And  why  do  you  come  to  me?" 

"Because  I — I  can't  think  of  any  way  of  making  money 
myself,  and  I  knew  you  had  work  to  give  to  people." 

"Did  you  try  to  think  what  you  could  do  best?" 

"Yes ;  and  I  tried  to  find  work.  But  I  can't  do  chores 
because  I  have  to  work  at  home  at  the  time  people  want 
their  chores  done.  Everyone  seems  to  have  plenty  of  wood 
split,  and  their  own  boys  weed  their  gardens,  and — " 

"I  see.  Well,  had  you  any  notion  of  what  I  might  give 
you  to  do  ?" 

"I  thought  you  might  perhaps  let  me  do  some  of  the 
things  the  hired  man  hasn't  time  for  on  this  big  place." 

"I  help  him  myself." 

"Well,  I  have  been  wondering,  and  when  I  was  in  your 
library  once,  I  noticed  that  the  books  were  all  dusty,  and 
were  put  on  the  shelves  in  any  order;  some  of  them  were 
upside  down.  You  said  you  didn't  know  how  many  books 
you  had,  or  what  they  were.  Why  shouldn't  I  arrange 
them,  and — " 

"That's  not  a  bad  idea." 

"Then  I  thought  maybe  I  might  overhaul  your  garret. 
They  say  it  hasn't  been  touched  since  it  was  built  a  hundred 
years  ago  ;  and  maybe — " 

"There,  there ;  you  begin  on  the  library,  and  if  you  do  that 
well,  I'll  set  you  at  something  else." 


SECTION  VII.    AVOID  SHIFTS  IN  SENTENCE 
STRUCTURE 

We  have  found  that  in  attempting  to  write  we  are  sure 
to  fail  unless  we  take  the  trouble  to  plan  our  compositions. 
It  is  quite  as  essential  that  we  plan  our  sentences.  It  would 
have  been  a  pleasant  arrangement  if  we  had  been  created 


128  A  Fust  Year  English  Book 

so  that  our  thoughts  would  gush  out  into  perfect  expres- 
sion, clothing  themselves  in  beautiful,  orderly  words,  as  a 
tree  clothes  itself  in  leaves.  But  it  is  the  law  of  life  that  we 
must  strive  in  order  to  attain  success.  If  we  would  express 
ourselves  well,  we  must  use  our  wits;  we  must  plan  our 
sentences,  as  well  as  everything  else  that  we  make. 

Xow  the  facts  which  you  should  consider  in  planning  are 
few  and  simple.  You  know  that  the  sentence  is  an  attempt 
to  express  your  thought.  The  subject  of  your  thought, 
then,  should  be  the  grammatical  subject  of  your  sentence. 
The  person  who  writes,  "He  made  a  -perch  in  the  town 
hall  and  the  building  of  a  new  bridge  was  advocated  by 
him,"  has  not  planned  his  sentence,  lie  has  not  taken  the 
trouble  to  find  out  which  is  the  subject  of  his  thought,  "he" 
or  "the  bridge." 

Let  the  subject  of  your  thought  be  the  subject  of  your 
sentence.  Do  not  change  your  subject  unless  it  is  necessary 
to  do  so  in  order  to  express  your  thought. 

Exercises 

i.  In  the  following  selections,  what  is  the  subject  of  each 
paragraph?  What  is  the  subject  of  each  sentence?  Does 
each  sentence  bear  on  the  subject  of  the  paragraph?  Note 
that  there  is  no  unnecessary  change  of  subject  within  the 
sentence : 

Johnson  had  now  become  one  of  Goldsmith's  best  friends 
and  advisers.  He  knew  all  the  weak  points  of  his  character, 
but  he  knew  also  his  merits;  and  while  he  would  rebuke  him 
like  a  child,  and  rail  at  his  error-;  and  follies,  he  would  suffer 
no  one  else  to  undervalue  him.  Goldsmith  knew  the  sound- 
ness of  his  judgment  and  his  practical  benevolence,  and 
often  sought  his  counsel  and  aid  amid  the  difficulties  into 
which  his  heedlessness  was  continually  plunging  him. 

"I  received  one  morning,"  says  Johnson,  "a  message  from 


Avoid  Shifts  in  Sentence  Structure  129 

poor  Goldsmith  that  he  was  in  great  distress,  and,  as  it  was 
not  in  his  power  to  come  to  me,  begging  that  I  would  come 
to  him  as  soon  as  possible.  I  sent  him  a  guinea,  and  prom- 
ised to  come  to  him  directly.  I  accordingly  went  as  soon 
as  I  was  dressed,  and  found  that  his  landlady  had  arrested 
him  for  his  rent,  at  which  he  was  in  a  violent  passion.  I 
perceived  that  he  had  already  changed  my  guinea  and  had 
a  bottle  of  Madeira  and  a  glass  before  him.  I  put  the  cork 
into  the  bottle,  desired  he  would  be  calm,  and  began  to  talk 
to  him  of  the  means  by  which  he  might  be  extricated.  He 
then  told  me  he  had  a  novel  ready  for  the  press,  which  he 
produced  to  me.  I  looked  into  it  and  saw  its  merits;  told 
the  landlady  I  should  soon  return ;  and,  having  gone  to  a 
bookseller,  sold  it  for  sixty  pounds.  I  brought  Goldsmith 
the  money,  and  he  discharged  his  rent,  not  without  rating 
his  landlady  in  a  high  tone  for  having  used  him  so  ill." 

The  novel  in  question  was  the  Vicar  of  Wakefield ;  the 
bookseller  to  whom  Johnson  sold  it  was  Francis  Newbery, 
nephew  of  John.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  this  captivating 
work,  which  has  obtained  and  preserved  an  almost  unrivaled 
popularity  in  various  languages,  was  so  little  appreciated  by 
the  bookseller,  that  he  kept  it  by  him  for  nearly  two  years 
unpublished. 

Oliver  Goldsmith,  Washington  Irving. 

2.  Point  out  unnecessary  changes  of  subject  in  the  fol- 
lowing sentences.     Rewrite  the  sentences. 

1.  He  set  out  for  school,  but  a  day  in  the  country  was 
chosen  instead. 

2.  Alice  and  Bessie  went  for  a  walk,  but  walking  soon 
grew  tiresome  to  them. 

3.  Edward  Smith  was  suspended  from  his  office,  and 
the  mayor  charged  him  with  embezzling  taxes  to  the 
amount  of  seventeen  hundred  dollars. 

4.  John  Bruce,  the  cashier,  first  noticed  the  deficit,  and 
was  called  as  a  main  witness  in  the  case. 

5.  We  think  the  baby  is  our  most  precious  possession, 
and  he,  in  turn,  appreciates  us. 


130  A  First  Year  E)iglish  Book 

6.  He  broke  the  violin  and  it  cannot  be  mended. 

7.  To  study  is  to  grow ;  growing  is  to  do  much  good  in 
the  world. 

8.  Golfing  is  our  greatest  pleasure,  but  we  also  like  to 
play  tennis  and  row. 

9.  He  was  seen  by  Dora  and  me  as  we  went  down  the 
street,  and  we  called  to  him,  but  in  vain. 

10.  A  rest  was  taken  today  by  the  hunters  in  camp,  and 
they  passed  the  hours  telling  stories. 

11.  The  women  of  Newcastle  sent  to  camp  a  huge  fruit 
cake,  and  a  basket  of  fresh  egg-  was  sent  to  Han  l'icrson, 
a  ranchman. 

The  first  requisite  in  sentence  structure  is  that  the-  subject 
should  not  be  changed  without  good  reason.  There  are 
other  unnecessary  changes  which  occur  in  careless  writing. 
Suppose  you  are  telling  a  story  and  you  come  to  a  point 
where  several  actions  follow  each  other  in  a  rapid  series, 
thus:  "We  ran  about  wildly,  we  shouted,  we  threw  up  our 
hats,  we  waved  our  ann>, — all  to  no  purpose." 

You  begin  with  a  short  statement,  and  if  you  plan  your 
sentence,  you  will  use  the  same  construction  for  all  the 
other  actions  in  the  series.  Make  no  unnecessary  changes 
in  the  structure  of  your  sentence.  For  example,  you  should 
not  say:  "We  ran  about  wildly,  waving  our  arms;  our 
shouts  were  heard  ;  our  hats  were  thrown  up — all  to  no 
purpose."  Perhaps  your  series  will  consist  of  infinitives, 
as  in  the  following  sentence: 

"Salemina's  first  idea  is  always  to  make  tangled  things 
smooth,  to  bring  sweet  order  out  of  chaos,  to  prune  and 
graft  and  water  and  weed  and  tend  things,  until  they  blos- 
som for  shame  under  her  healing  touch." 

Or  you  may  use  participial  phrases:  "We  often  found 
him  at  work  in  his  garden,  digging  in  the  rich  loam,  pulling 


Avoid  Shifts  in  Sentence  Structure  131 

a  stray  weed,  trimming  a  border-hedge,  or  fastening  an 
errant  vine  upon  the  wall." 

Or  again  your  series  may  consist  of  dependent  clauses : 
"It  was  a  pleasure  to  see  how  he  would  fit  the  tid-bits  to 
the  puny  mouths,  how  he  would  recommend  this  slice  of 
white  bread,  or  that  piece  of  kissing-crust,  how  genteelly 
he  would  deal  about  the  water,  with  a  special  recommenda- 
tion to  wipe  the  lip  before  drinking." 

Whatever  your  series,  you  should  continue  your  sentence 
consistently  in  the  way  you  begin  it.  You  help  to  make 
your  sentence  clear  when  you  form  certain  parts  of  it  after 
the  same  pattern.  By  putting  similar  ideas  in  similar  forms, 
you  call  attention  to  their  likeness.  The  important  rule  to 
keep  in  mind  is  this:  Do  not  change  your  construction  un- 
necessarily; carry  out  your  plan:  make  the  parts  fit  each 
other. 

m 

Exercises 

/.  In  the  following  sentences,  name  the  words,  phrases, 
or  clauses  which  correspond  in  construction  ;  that  is,  which 
are  in  a  series. 


If  peradventure,  reader,  it  has  been  thy  lot  to  waste  the 
golden  years  of  thy  life — thy  shining  youth — in  the  irksome 
confinement  of  an  office;  to  have  thy  prison  days  prolonged 
through  middle  age  down  to  decrepitude  and  silver  hairs 
without  hope  of  release  or  respite ;  to  have  lived  to  forget 
that  there  are  such  things  as  holidays,  or  to  remember  them 
but  as  the  prerogatives  of  childhood ;  then,  and  then  only, 
will  you  be  able  to  appreciate  my  deliverance. 

The  Superannuated  Man,  Charles  Lamb. 


"I  wish  the  good  old  times  would  come  again,"  she  said, 
'when  we  were  not  quite  so  rich.   I  do  not  mean  that  I  want 


132  A  First  Year  English  Book 

to  be  poor;  but  there  was  a  middle  state," — so  she  was 
pleased  to  ramble  on, — "in  which  I  am  sure  we  were  a  great 
deal  happier.  A  purchase  is  but  a  purchase,  now  that  you 
have  money  enough  and  to  spare.  Formerly  it  used  to  be  a 
triumph.  When  we  coveted  a  cheap  luxury  (and,  Oh!  how 
much  ado  I  had  to  get  your  consent  in  those  times!)  we 
were  used  to  have  a  debate  two  or  three  days  before,  and 
to  weigh  the  for  and  against  and  think  what  we  might  spare 
it  out  of,  and  what  saving  we  could  hit  upon  that  should  be 
equivalent.  A  thing  was  worth  buying  then,  when  we  felt 
the  money  that  we  paid  for  it. 

"Do  you  remember  the  brown  suit  which  you  made  to 
hang  upon  you  till  all  your  friends  cried  shame  upon  you,  it 
grew  so  threadbare,  and  all  because  of  that  folio  Beaumont 
and  Fletcher,  which  you  dragged  home  late  at  night  from 
Barker's  in  Covent  Garden?  Do  you  remember  how  we 
eyed  it  for  weeks  before  we  could  make  up  our  minds  to 
purchase,  and  had  not  come  to  a  determination  till  it  was 
near  ten  o'clock  of  the  Saturday  night,  when  you  set  off  for 
Islington,  fearing  you  should  be  too  late — and  when  the  old 
bookseller  with  some  grumbling  opened  his  shop,  and  by  the 
twinkling  taper  (for  he  was  getting  bed  wards)  lighted  out 
the  relic  from  his  dusty  treasury — and  when  you  lugged  it 
home,  wishing  it  were  twice  as  cumbersome — and  when 
you  presented  it  to  me — and  when  we  were  exploring  the 
perfectness  of  it  (collating  you  called  it) — and  while  I  was 
repairing  some  of  the  loose  leaves  with  paste,  which  your 
impatience  would  not  suffer  to  be  left  till  daybreak — was 
there  no  pleasure  in  being  a  poor  man?" 

Old  China,  Charles  Lamb. 


3- 

That  man,  I  think,  has  a  liberal  education  who  has  been 
so  trained  in  youth  that  his  body  is  the  ready  servant  of  his 
will,  and  does  with  ease  and  pleasure  all  the  work  that,  as 
a  mechanism,  it  is  capable  of;  whose  intellect  is  a  clear,  cold, 
logic  engine,  with  all  its  parts  of  equal  strength,  and  in 
smooth  working  order ;  ready,  like  a  steam  engine,  to  be 
turned  to  any  kind  of  work,  and  spin  the  gossamers  as  well 
as  forge  the  anchors  of  the  mind ;  whose  mind  is  stored  with 


Avoid  Shifts  in  Sentence  Structure  133 

a  knowledge  of  the  great  and  fundamental  truths  of  Nature 
and  of  the  laws  of  her  operations;  one  who,  no  stunted 
ascetic,  is  full  of  life  and  fire,  but  whose  passions  are  trained 
to  come  to  heel  by  a  vigorous  will,  the  servant  of  a  tender 
conscience ;  who  has  learned  to  love  all  beauty,  whether  of 
Nature  or  of  Art,  to  hate  all  vileness,'  and  to  respect  others  as 
himself. 

A  Liberal,  Education,  Thomas  II.  Huxley. 

4- 

And,  O  my  brethren,  O  kind  and  affectionate  hearts.  O 
loving  friends,  should  you  know  any  one  whose  lot  it  has 
been,  by  writing  or  by  word  of  mouth,  in  some  degree  to 
help  you  thus  to  act ;  if  he  has  ever  told  you  what  you  knew 
about  yourselves,  or  what  you  did  not  know ;  has  read  to 
you  your  wants  and  feelings,  and  comforted  you  by  this 
very  reading;  has  made  you  feel  that  there  was  a  higher 
life  than  this  daily  one,  and  a  brighter  world  than  that  you 
see;  or  encouraged  you,  or  sobered  you,  or  opened  a  way 
to  the  inquiring,  or  soothed  the  perplexed;  if  what  he  has 
said  or  done  has  ever  made  you  take  interest  in  him,  and 
feel  well  inclined  towards  him ;  remember  such  a  one  in 
time  to  come,  though  you  hear  him  not,  and  pray  for  him, 
that  in  all  things  he  may  know  God's  will,  and  at  all  times 
he  may  be  ready  to  fulfill  it. 

The  Parting  of  Friends,  John  Henry  Newman. 


Oh  the  terrible  drought !  When  the  sky  turns  to  brass ; 
when  the  clouds  are  like  withered  leaves ;  when  the  sun 
sucks  the  earth's  blood  like  a  vampire ;  when  rivers  shrink, 
stream  fail,  springs  perish ;  when  the  grass  whitens  and 
crackles  under  your  feet;  when  the  turf  turns  to  dust;  when 
the  fields  are  like  tinder;  when  the  air  is  the  breath  of  an 
oven ;  when  even  the  merciful  dews  are  withheld,  and  the 
morning  is  no  fresher  than  the  evening. 

Locusts  and  Wild  Honey,  Johx  Burroughs. 

2.     In  the  following  sentences,  unnecessary  changes  are 


134  A  First  Year  English  Book 

made   in  construction.     Rewrite   the   sentences,   correcting 
such  mistakes. 

i.     A  cameo-cutter  works  neatly  and  with  quickness. 

2.  To  read  and  remembering  make  a  full  mind. 

3.  He  saw  to  it  that  I  rode,  that  I  played  tennis,  and 
was  insistent  on  my  taking  exercise  in  general. 

4.  Walking  in  the  morning,  sleeping  in  the  afternoon, 
and  to  go  to  a  concert,  or  a  lecture  at  night,  suit  his  taste. 

5.  Silence  maketh  a  wise  man,  but  to  talk  much  is  a  sign 
of  a  foolish  man. 

6.  He  suggested  my  studying  grammar,  and  that  I 
should  take  a  course  in  composition. 

7.  The  "Daily  Telegraph"  began  a  series  of  articles  to 
call  attention  to  the  situation  in  the  far  East,  and  giving 
new  facts  of  importance 

8.  The  writer  alleges  that  fifteen  battleships  are  unfit  for 
service,  ten  others  being  only  partially  supplied  with  am- 
munition. 

9.  The  bear,  killed  today,  furnished  a  very  fine  skin, 
brown,  with  long  hair,  and  of  a  uniform  color,  not  mottled. 

10.  Charles  Green  is  recovering  from  his  attack,  and  it 
is  also  thought  that  the  injury  will  not  be  permanent. 

11.  I  will  not  deny  that  he  read  and  that  he  studied,  nor 
can  his  writing  be  gainsaid  ;  but  the  question  is.  what  profit 
has  been  brought  to  others. 

12.  He  told  him  to  observe,  and  to  gather  material,  and 
planning  the  composition  was  insisted  upon. 


PART  IV 

WORDS- 
SECTION    I.     HOW   TO   ENRICH   ONE'S   VOCAB- 
ULARY 

One  reason  why  most  of  us  do  not  accomplish  more  in 
this  world  is  that  it  does  not  occur  to  us  to  try ;  we  con- 
ceive an  ideal,  but  think  we  can  not  reach  it.  This  is 
particularly  the  case  among  students.  The  boy  who  thinks 
he  can  not  learn  Latin,  or  the  girl  who  "can't  do"  algebra, 
seldom  reaches  excellence  in  the  subject. 

Now,  most  of  us  do  not  try  to  use  words  we  are  not  ac- 
customed to  use.  It  scarcely  enters  our  minds  that  we 
might  have  more  than  one  adjective  for  the  idea  "pleasant 
day,"  or  "great  man."  And  if  we  see  such  a  word  as  ''am- 
ateur" or  "extraordinary"  or  "charming,"  we  ignore  it  be- 
cause it  seems  to  us  unusual.  If  children  associate  with 
people  who  use  the  varied  riches  of  their  native  tongue,  they 
will  pick  up  words  without  effort.  Those  who  do  not  have 
such  associates  should  make  the  conscious  effort  to  increase 
their  stock  of  words. 

Let  us  note  some  instances  which  illustrate  this  point. 
The  following  story  is  told  of  the  childhood  of  Sir  Walter 
Scott,  by  Mrs.  Cockburn,  who  came  to  call  on  the  family. 
At  the  time,  the  boy  was  only  six  years  old. 

He  was  reading  a  poem  to  his  mother  when  I  went  in. 
I  made  him  read  on ;  it  was  the  description  of  a  shipwreck. 
His  passion  rose  with  the  storm.  "There's  the  mast  gone !"' 
says  he.     "Crash  it  goes ;  they  will  all  perish."     After  hi? 

135 


136  A  First  Year  English  Book 

agitation  he  turns  to  me,  ''That  is  too  melancholy,"  says  he; 
"1  had  better  read  you  something  more  amusing."  And 
after  the  call,  he  told  his  aunt  he  liked  Mrs.  Cockburn, 
for,  "She  was  a  virtuoso  like  himself."  "Dear  Walter,"  says 
Aunt  Jenny,  "what  is  virtuoso?"  "Don't  you  know?  Why, 
it's  one  who  wishes  and  will  know  everything.  " 

When  Macaulay  was  a  child  about  five  years  old,  he  was 
taken  by  his  father  to  make  a  call.  A  servant  who  was 
waiting  on  the  company  spilled  some  hot  coffee  over  his 
legs.  The  hostess  was  all  kindness  and  compassion,  and 
when,  after  a  while,  she  asked  him  how  he  was  feeling,  the 
little  fellow  looked  up  in  her  face  and  replied:  "Thank  you, 
madam,  the  agony  is  abated."  When  eight  or  nine  he  wrote 
a  long  poem  about  Olaus  .Magnus,  king  of  Norway,  from 
which  are  taken  the  following  lines: 

"Long,"  said  the  prince,  "shall  Olave's  name 
Live  in  the  high  records  of  fame. 
Fair  Mona  now  shall  trembling  stand 
That  ne'er  before  feared  mortal  hand. 
Mona,  that  isle  where  Ceres'  flower 
In  plenteous  autumn's  golden  hour 
I  tides  all  the  fields  from  man's  survey, 
As  locusts  hid  old  Egypt's  day." 

These  instances,  to  be  sure,  are  exceptional.  Macaulay 
and  Scott  were  men  of  genius.  But  words  which  they  used 
as  children  should  surely  be  in  the  vocabulary  of  the  Ameri- 
can high  school  student  ;  and  a  very  little  effort  will  put 
them  there. 

Exercises 

7.  In  the  stories  told  above,  make  a  list  of  the  words 
which  you  do  not  habitually  use.  Write  sentences  using 
them  correctly. 

2.  Suppose  you  wish  to  say  that  a  man  is  courageous. 
You  can  say:  "He  has  courage;  he  is  a  man  of  courage; 
a  man  of  unflinching  courage ;  indomitable  courage ;  a  brave 


Words  137 

man;  a  man  of  bravery;  of  notable  bravery;  a  valiant  man; 
a  man  without  fear ;  absolutely  without  fear ;  without  a 
shadow  of  fear;  the  man  did  not  know  the  meaning  of 
fear ;"  and  so  on.  Or,  you  can  state  it  figuratively :  ''He 
has  a  heart  of  oak;  he  is  brave  as  a  lion." 

j.  Find  as  many  ways  as  you  can  of  saying  that  a  man  is 
not  truthful;  not  honest;  that  an  act  is  not  wise;  that  cer- 
tain behavior  is  uncivil ;  that  a  man  is  industrious ;  that  this 
would  be  an  improvement ;  that  a  girl  is  meddlesome  ;  is 
blameless. 

4.  Write  sentences  using  the  following  words:  Dip; 
duck ;  immerse ;  submerge  ;  plunge ;  abundant ;  ample ;  big  ; 
broad ;  capacious  ;  extensive  ;  huge  ;  immense ;  great ;  vast ; 
massive  ;  spacious  ;  gigantic. 

5.  Write  sentences  using  the  following  words :  Belief ; 
confidence ;  conviction ;  opinion  ;  trust ;  fancy  ;  caprice  ; 
whim  ;  vagary  ;  garrulous ;  chattering ;  talkative  ;  loquacious. 

6.  Write  sentences  using  the  following  words  :  Throng ; 
crowd ;  host ;  multitude  ;  concourse  ;  age  ;  epoch ;  season  ; 
period;  term;  affair;  business;  proceeding;  dialect;  lan- 
guage ;  command  ;  decree  ;  order. 

7.  Write  sentences  using  the  following  words  :  Gleam  ; 
glimmer;  glitter;  glow;  illumination;  lustre;  sheen;  shim- 
mer ;  shine  ;  sparkle  ;  twinkle  ;  riddle  ;  enigma  ;  puzzle ;  prob- 
lem ;  disciple  ;  savant ;  agitate ;  shake  ;  brandish  ;  quake  ; 
quiver ;  tremble  ;  oscillate. 

8.  Oral.  Find  as  many  expressions  as  you  can  for  the 
various  degrees  of  darkness  and  gloom ;  for  misfortune ;  for 
money ;  success ;  for  lack  of  care ;  for  the  expression,  "not 
a  whit." 

p.  Oral.  Find  several  ways  of  saying  that  a  thing  is 
new  ;  strange ;  old ;  bad  or  evil ;  that  a  person  is  reluctant ; 
rustic  ;  intelligent ;  strong. 

10.     Turn  to  page  131,  selection  2,  and  make  a  list  of  the 


138  A  First  Year  English  Book 

words  you  do  not  use  in  writing  ;  in  speech.     Use  them  in 
sentences. 

11.  Report  at  the  end  of  the  week  two  words  that  you 
have  newly  acquired  in  your  speaking  vocabulary. 

There  are  some  combinations  of  words  or  even  of  sylla- 
bles that  affect  us  with  a  strange  pleasure.  Perhaps  this  is 
the  source  of  the  belief  in  charms.  Certain  it  is  that  some 
words  please  us  quite  aside  from  their  meaning,  and  so  far 
as  we  can  discover,  simply  as  a  result  of  their  sound.  Ten- 
nyson tells  us  that  the  words  "far,  far  away"  had  always  a 
strange  fascination  for  him,  and  all  poets  have  been  sensi- 
tive to  the  music  of  language.  Now  we  are  not  all  poets, 
but  we  have  in  lower  degree  some  of  the  tastes  of  poets.  If 
we  had  not,  poets  would  have  no  one  to  read  their  verses. 

12.  Point  out  in  the  following  selections  anv  words  of 
which  you  especially  like  the  sound : 

Go  little  book  and  wish  to  all 

Flowers  in  the  garden,  meat  in  the  hall. 

A  bin  of  wine,  a  spice  of  wit, 

A  house  with  lawns  enclosing  it, 

A  living  river  by  the  door, 

A  nightingale  in  the  sycamore. 

Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 


In  Xanadu  did  Kubla  Khan 

A  stately  pleasure-dome  decree: 

Where  Alph,  the  sacred  river,  ran 

Through  caverns  measureless  to  man 

Down  to  a  sunless  sea. 

So  twice  five  miles  of  fertile  ground 

With  walls  and  towers  were  girdled  round : 

And  here  were  gardens  bright  with  sinuous  rills, 

Where  blossomed  many  an  incense-bearing  tree, 

And  here  were  forests  ancient  as  the  hills, 

Enfolding  sunny  spots  of  greenery.     .     , 


Words  139 

A  damsel  with  a  dulcimer 

In  a  vision  once  I  saw : 

It  was  an  Abyssinian  maid, 

And  on  her  dulcimer  she  played, 

Singing  of  mount  Abora. 

Could  I  revive  within  me 

Her  symphony  and  song, 

To  such  a  deep  delight  'twould  win  me, 

That  with  music  loud  and  long, 

I  would  build  that  dome  in  air, 

That  sunny  dome !  those  caves  of  ice ! 

And  all  who  heard  should  see  them  there, 

And  all  should  cry,  Beware !  Beware ! 

His  flashing  eyes,  his  floating  hair! 

Weave  a  circle  round  him  thrice, 

And  close  your  eyes  with  holy  dread, 

For  he  on  honey-dew  hath  fed, 

And  drunk  the  milk  of  paradise. 

Samuel  Taylor  Coleridge. 

THE  FORSAKEN  MERMAN 

Come,  dear  children,  let  us  away; 
Down  and  away  below ! 
Now  my  brothers  call  from  the  bay, 
Now  the  great  winds  shoreward  blow, 
Now  the  salt  tides  seaward  flow ; 
Now  the  wild  white  horses  play, 
Champ  and  chafe  and  toss  in  the  spray. 
Children  dear,  let  us  away. 
This  way,  this  way! 

Call  her  once  before  you  go — 
Call  once  yet! 

In  a  voice  that  she  will  know :. 
"Margaret!  Margaret!" 
Children's  voices  should  be  dear 
(Call  once  more)  to  a  mother's  ear; 
Children's  voices  wild  with  pain! 
Call  her  once  and  come  away ; 
This  way,  this  way ! 


140  A  First  Year  English  Hook 

".Mother  dear,  we  cannot  stay! 

The  wild  white  horses  foam  and  fret." 

Margaret!  Margaret! 

Children  dear  was  it  yesterday 
We  heard  the  sweet  hells  over  the  bay? 
In  the  caverns  where  we  lay, 
Through  the  surf  and  through  the  swell, 
The  far-off  sound  of  a  silver  hell? 
Sand-strewn  caverns,  cool  and  deep. 
Where  the  winds  are  all  asleep; 
Where  the  spent  lights  quiver  and  gleam, 
Where  the  salt  weed  sways  in  the  stream, 
Where  the  sea-beasts,  ranged  all  round, 
Feed  in  the  ooze  of  their  pasture-ground; 
Where  the  sea-snakes  coil  and  twine. 
Dry  their  mail  and  bask  in  the  brine; 
Where  great  whales  come  sailing  by, 
Sail  and  sail  with  unshut  eye, 
Round  the  world  forever  and  aye  ? 
When  did  the  music  come  this  way? 
Children  dear,  was  it  yesterday? 


Matthew  Arnold, 


Orlando.    But  whate'er  you  are 

That  in  this  desert  inaccessible. 

Under  the  shade  of  melancholy  boughs, 

Lose  and  neglect  the  creeping  hours  of  time ; 

If  ever  you  have  looked  on  better  days. 

If  ever  been  where  bells  have  knolled  to  church, 

If  ever  sat  at  any  good  man's  feast. 

If  ever  from  your  eyelid  wiped  a  tear 

And  know  what  'tis  to  pity  and  be  pitied. 

Let  gentleness  my  strong  enforcement  be: 

In  the  which  hope  I  blush  and  hide  my  sword. 

Duke.     True  is  it  that  we  have  seen  better  days, 
And  have  with  holy  bell  been  knolled  to  church. 
And  sat  at  good  men's  feasts  and  wiped  our  eyes 
Of  drops  that  sacred  pity  hath  engendered; 


^ 
^ 

tq 


q 


te5 


O 

o 
O 


Words  141 

And  therefore  sit  you  down  in  gentleness 
And  take  upon  command  what  help  we  have 
That  to  your  wanting  may  be  ministered. 

As  You  Like  It.  Shakespeare. 

12.     Bring  to  class  some  selection  in  prose  or  verse  which 
pleases  you  from  the  sound. 


PART  V 

LETTER  WRITING 

You  may  not  write  many  compositions  in  the  course  of 
your  life,  but  you  will  certainly  have  to  write  many  letters 
and  notes  of  various  sorts.  The  chief  reason  for  taking 
pains  with  your  letters  is  that  they  represent  you.  A  care- 
lessly spoken  sentence  you  may  carry  off  by  a  smile  or  a 
jest.  A  badly  written  letter  will  have  no  palliative.  More- 
over, it  is  only  courteous  to  the  recipient  of  your  letter  tc 
make  it  as  attractive  and  readable  as  you  can. 

SECTION  I.     LETTERS  TO   FRIENDS 

Letters  to  people  you  know  well  should  be  very  like  talk. 
A  good.,  friendly  letter  is  a  substitute  for  conversation ;  it 
makes  you  feel,  as  you  read  it,  that  you  can  almost  see  your 
friend  and  hear  his  familiar  voice.  This  effect  of  natural- 
ness should  be  your  first  aim  in  letter  writing.  Try  to 
make  your  letter  read  like  good  talk.  But  you  do  not  talk 
to  each  person  with  just  the  same  manner.  Your  talk  to 
your  brother  is  very  much  more  familiar  than  your  talk  to 
your  .grandfather,  though  one  may  have  no  warmer  place 
in  your  heart  than  the  other.  The  tone  of  your  letter,  like- 
wise, should  be  appropriate,  and  should  depend  largely 
upon  the  relations  existing  between  you  and  the  person  to 
whom  you  write ;  somewhat  also  upon  the  matters  of  which 
you  write ;  and  somewhat  upon  the  circumstances  under 
which  you  write.     If  you  were  writing  an  everyday  letter 

142 


Letter  Writing  143 

to  your  cousin,  you  should  make  it  as  close  an  approach  as 
possible  to  your  usual  intercourse.  But  if  you  were  con- 
doling with  him  over  a  bereavement,  the  tone  of  your  letter 
would  be  much  graver  than  usual ;  or  if  you  were  writing 
about  some  national  matter  in  which  you  were  deeply  inter- 
ested, your  letter  would  probably  he  more  serious  than 
usual. 

The  best  way  to  make  the  tone  of  your  letter  both  appro- 
priate and  natural  is  to  imagine  that  you  are  actually  talking 
to  your  correspondent  about  certain  given  subjects.  Make 
up  your  mind  first  of  all  that  you  are  going  to  write  an 
interesting  letter.  It  must  not  be  a  number  of  isolated, 
disjointed  scraps,  such  as  : 

I  met  Ned  Brown  yesterday ;  he  is  going  to  military 
school  next  term.  Mother  and  I  drove  to  town  this  morn- 
ing to  buy  a  new  ice-box.  I  think  I  am  going  to  spend  the 
holidays  with  Harry  Lane. 

These  remarks  are  neither  appropriate  nor  natural ; 
and  a  letter  made  up  of  them  is  often  tiresome. to  the  re- 
cipient, and  certainly  could  not  be  read  with  pleasure  by  a 
third  person.  Plan  your  letter  ^ust  as  you  plan  your  whole 
composition.  Arrange  your  thoughts  in  an  orderly  manner, 
grouping  the  related  topics  into  two  or  three  or  four  para- 
graphs according  to  the  length  of  the  letter.  And  do  not 
forget  that  you  are  trying  to  give  pleasure  to  your  reader. 

The  following  is  an  example  of  a  friendly  letter : 

Vailima,  Samoa,  September  9,  1894. 

Dear  Aliss  Middleton: 

Your  letter  has  been  like  the  drawing  up  of  a  curtain. 
Of  course  I  remember  you  very  well,  and  the  Skye  terrier 
to  which  you  refer — a  heavy,  dull,  fatted,  graceless  creature 


144  ^  First  Year  English  Book 

as  he  grew  up  to  be — was  my  own  particular  pet.  It  may 
amuse  you,  perhaps,  as  much  as  "The  Inn"  amused  mc,  if 
I  tell  you  what  made  this  dog  particularly  mine.  My  father 
was  the  natural  god  of  all  the  dogs  in  our  house,  and  poor 
Jura  took  to  him,  of  course.  Jura  was  stolen,  and  kept  in 
prison  somewhere  for  more  than  a  week,  as  I  remember. 
When  he  came  back,  Smeoroch  had  come  and  taken  my 
father's  heart  from  him.  lie  took  his  stand  like  a  man,  and 
positively  never  spoke  to  my  father  again  from  that  day 
until  the  day  of  his  death.  It  was  the  only  sign  of  char- 
acter he  ever  showed.  1  took  him  up  to  my  room  to  be  my 
dog  in  consequence,  partly  because  I  was  sorry  for  him,  and 
partly  because  I  admired  his  dignity  in  misfortune. 

With  best  regards  and  thanks  for  having  reminded  me 
of  so  many  pleasant  days,  old  acquaintances,  dead  friends, 
and — what  is  perhaps  as  pathetic  as  any  of  them — dead 
dogs,  I  remain,  Yours  truly, 

Robert   Louis   Stevenson. 


Note  that  this  letter  is  fresh  and  interesting.  It  contains 
no  hackneyed  expressions,  such  as  "I  take  my  pen  in  hand," 
or  "I  hope  you  are  well."  In  short,  the  letter  impresses  you 
as  being  what  the  writer  would  actually  say  to  his  friend. 
You  could  find  no  better  models  for  your  letters  than  Ste- 
venson's. 

But  a  letter  demands  more  than  a  good  body.  Every  let- 
ter should  state  when  and  where  it  is  written — that  is, 
should  have  a  heading.  It  should  tell  to  whom  it  is  written 
— that  is,  it  should  have  an  address.  It  should  begin  with 
a  salutation,  such  as  "Dear  Mary."  or  "My  Dear  Mary"  ( the 
latter  being  a  shade  more  formal),  "Dearest  Mother,"  or 
"My  own  dear  Mother."  It  might  end  with  the  leave- 
taking,  "Lovingly  yours,"  "Yours  affectionately,"  "Yours 
cordially,"  "Your  sincere  friend."  The  relations  of  Miss 
Middleton  and  Stevenson  justified  the  beginning  and  the 
ending  of  the  letter  printed  above.     "Dear  Madam,"  would 


Letter  Writing  145 

be,  of  course,  quite  too  formal.    "Yours  respectfully"  would 
not  properly  represent  the  relations  of  the  two. 

These  points  concerning  the  beginning  and  the  ending 
might  take  any  of  the  following  forms : 


28  Perie  Street,  Chicago,  Illinois, 
August  25,  1907. 
Air.  James  Lowe, 
Lincoln,  Texas. 
My  Dear  Uncle : 


Your  affectionate  nephew, 

Amos  Lowe. 


August  25.  1907. 
Dear  Uncle  James : 


Your  affectionate  nephew, 

Amos  Lowe. 
28  Perie  Street,  Chicago,  Illinois. 

3- 
Dear  Uncle  lames : 


Yrours  affectionately, 

Amos  Lowe. 
28  Perie  Street,  Chicago,  Illinois, 
August  25,  1907. 

4- 

August  25,  1907. 
My  dear  Uncle  James : 


Your  affectionate  nephew, 

Amos. 
Mr.  James  Lowe, 
Lincoln,  Texas. 


146  .  /  First  Year  English  Hook 

In  friendl)  letters,  then,  more  or  less  informality  and 
variation  are  permissible  in  showing  to  wlmni,  when,  where, 
an<l  by  \\ horn  a  letter  is  written. 

The  heading  telling  when  and  where  a  letter  is  written  is 
usually  placed  an  inch  or  two  from  the  top  of  the  page,  and 
toward  the  right-hand  edge.  When  two  or  more  items  are 
in  the  same  line,  they  are  separated  by  a  comma.  The  ex- 
amples illustrate  when  a  comma  or  a  period  should  come  at 
the  end  of  a  line.  The  salutation  i.  followed  by  a  comma 
or,  more  formally,  by  a  colon.  The  last  word  of  leave 
taking  is  followed  by  a  comma.  Observe  carefully  which 
words  are  capitalized  in  the  salutation  and  the  leave-taking. 

The  signature  always  come-,  a  -pace  below  the  leave-tak- 
ing, and  close  to  the  right-hand  side  of  the  page.  Except  in 
informal  letters,  the  writer  should  sign  the  name  he  wishes 
his  correspondent  to  use  in  reply.  Confusion  often  occurs 
when  married  women  use  two  signatures  interchangeably. 
If  Mrs.  Trice  signs  a  letter  as  "Mary  Price"  and  yet  wishes 
to  be  addressed  as  "Mrs.  James  Price,"  she  must  put  below 
her  signature,  "Please  address  Mrs.  James  Price,"  or,  in 
parentheses,  "Mrs.  James   Price." 

Exercises 

/.  vVrite  a  letter  to  your  teacher  accounting  for  your 
absence  from  school. 

2.  Write  a  letter  to  your  friend  at  boarding  school, 
telling  of  a  party  you  attended  last  night. 

J.  You  have  a  friend  in  the  east  at  a  certain  board- 
ing school  which  you  may  possibly  attend.  Ask  about  the 
matters  which  may  help  you  decide. 

4.  Write  a  letter  to  a  friend  in  the  country  telling 
why  small  parks  and  playgrounds  are  necessary  in  a  large 
city. 


Letter  11  riting  147 

5.  You  have  just  been  visiting  your  best  friend  in  New- 
York.  Write  him  an  account  of  what  happened  to  you  on 
the  train  as  you  were  returning. 

6.  You  have  just  been  told  by  your  father  that  your 
brother  at  school  is  not  to  come  home  for  the  holidays. 
Write  a  letter  breaking  the  news  to  him. 

7.  Your  cousin  has  been  too  ill  to  attend  the  football 
game.     Write  him  an  account  of  it. 

8.  Your  friend,  Ada,  in  London,  England,  is  home- 
sick.   Write  her  an  amusing  and  cheering  letter. 

p.  Write  a  letter  to  your  little  cousin  who  has  just  en- 
tered the  second  grade. 

10.  Write  a  letter  to  your  favorite  aunt,  recounting  the 
latest  household  comedy. 

11.  Write  a  letter  to  your  closest  friend,  giving  an 
account  of  some  trip  you  have  taken  recently. 

12.  Write  to  a  person  who  has  always  lived  in  the 
city,  describing  a  typical  country  store. 


SECTION  II.     FORMAL  INVITATIONS 

You  write  an  informal  invitation  or  note  as  you  would 
write  a  friendly  letter;  but  a  formal  note  requires  different 
treatment.  Formal  written  invitations  are  in  the  third  per- 
son throughout,  as  in  the  following  examples : 

1. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adrien  Smith  request  the  pleasure  of  Miss 
Anesley's    company    at    dinner    on    Thursday,    August    the 
twenty-fifth,  at  eight  o'clock. 
yy  Somers  Street. 

Monday,  August  fifteenth. 


148  A  First  Year  English  Book 


Miss  Anesley  accepts  with  pleasure  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adrien 
Smith's    kind    invitation    to    dinner    on    Thursday,    August 
twenty-fifth,  at  eight  o'clock. 
[8  Prescott  Street 

August  sixteenth. 


Mi-s   Anesley   regrets  that  a   previous  engagement  pre- 
vents her  from  accepting  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adrien  Smith's  kind 
invitation  for  Thursday,  August  twenty-fifth. 
iS  Prescott  Street 

August  sixteenth. 

An  engraved  or  printed  invitation  uses  the  second  person, 
since  the  name  of  each  person  invited  cannot  be  inserted  in 
print  or  engraving. 

THE    MONDAY    CLUB 

REQUESTS  THE   PLEASURE  OF  YOUR  COMPANY 

AT    ITS    ANNUAL   BANQUET 

OX    MONDAY    EVENING,    AUGUST    THE    FIFTEENTH 

AT  EIGHT  O'CLOCK. 

THE   LYCEUM    HALL 

Observe  how  little  punctuation  there  is.  and  also  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  lines. 

A  further  type  of  the  formal  note  is  as  follows: 

Will  Mr.  Sargent  kindly  excuse  Edwin  Beecher  from 
school  at  half  past  two  this  afternoon,  and  thus  greatly 
oblige  his  mother. 

Eleanor  Beecher. 
1 1 1    Locust   Street 

Tuesday  morning. 


Letter  Writing  149 

Another  type  of  the  formal  letter  is  the  official  letter.  It 
is  very  dignified  in  style.  Careful  attention  is  paid  to  titles 
which  (with  the  exception  of  Mr.,  Mrs.  and  Hon.)  should 
be  fully  written  out ;  as,  ''Governor  James  Madison  Wiley," 
"Professor  William  Rodney  Small."  Formal  beginnings 
are:  ''Sir,"  "Reverend  Sir"  (if  you  are  addressing  a  clergy- 
man), "Your  honor"  (if  you  are  addressing  the  mayor  of 
a  city  or  a  judge),  "Your  Excellency"  (if  you  are  address- 
ing the  governor  of  a  state  or  the  president  of  the  United 
States).  Formal  endings  are:  "Respectfully  yours," 
"Most  respectfully  yours,"  "I  have  the  honor  to  subscribe 
myself  most  respectfully  yours,"  "1  am.  most  respectfully. 
your  obedient  servant." 

The  following  is  a  typical  example  of  the  official  letter : 

232  Larrabel  Avenue, 
Lafayette,  Michigan, 

June  10,  1905. 
To  the  Examiner  of  the  Bradley  Institute : 
Sir: 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  my  physician,  Dr.  Martin 
Reece,  has  forbidden  me  to  use  my  eyes  for  study  during 
the  rest  of  the  quarter,  I  shall  not  be  able  to  take  the  exam- 
inations on  my  three  courses  of  sophomore  study.  I  have 
read  on  my  work  very  carefully,  and  though  I  cannot  do 
any  reviewing,  I  feel  sure  that  I  could  pass  satisfactory 
examinations,  if  I  were  given  the  opportunity.  I,  therefore, 
respectfully  petition  that  I  may  be  allowed  to  take  oral 
examinations  in  my  subjects  at  whatever  date  is  convenient 
to  my  instructors. 

Yours  respectfully, 

Joseph  Marks. 

Exercises 

1.  Write  a  formal  note  inviting  a  friend  to  luncheon. 

2.  Write  a  formal  note  inviting"  a  friend  to  a  reception. 


150  A  First  Year  English  Hook 

j.     Write  an  acceptance  to  a  dinner. 

/.  Write  a  formal  note  declining  an  invitation  to  a 
luncheon. 

5.  Write  an  official  letter  asking  the  governor  of  the 
state  to  deliver  your  commencement  address. 

SECTION  III.    BUSINESS  LETTERS 

Business  letters  should  he  the  easiest  of  all  to  write,  and 
yet  they  are  frequently  very  badly  written.  Business  men 
constantly  complain  that  some  of  their  clerks  are  ignorant 
uf  the  simplest  rules  of  letter  writing.  In  business  let- 
ter^, the  date  and  place  of  writing  should  always  he  given  in 
full  at  the  beginning.  The  address  should,  as  in  friendly 
letters,  begin  a  space  or  two  below  the  heading,  and 
•  in  the  margin  line,  the  items  arranged  in  one,  two  or 
three  lines.  The  salutation  comes  a  space  below  the  ad- 
dress, usually  below  the  last  letter  of  the  address.  If  the 
letter  is  long,  the  salutation  should  begin  at  the  left  margin. 
The  nature  of  the  salutation  varies  with  circumstances. 
"Sir"  and  "Madam"  are  very  formal.  "Dear  Sir,"  "Dear 
Madam,"  "My  Dear  Sir,"  are  common  terms  in  business 
correspondence.  The  leave-taking  is  usually  "Yours 
truly,"  "Sincerely  yours"  or  "Yours  respectfully."  The 
contractions  usually  permitted  are  "etc.,"  *'inst."  {this 
month),  "ult."  (last  month),  "prox."  (next  month).  It  is 
advisable  in  answering  a  business  letter  to  refer  to  it  in  the 
first  sentence,  giving  its  date. 

The  matter  in  hand  should  he  dispatched  in  the  fewest 
possible  words,  and  yet  nothing  must  he  omitted  which  is 
necessary  to  the  clearness  of  the  letter ;  nor  must  the  letter 
be  so  abrupt  as  to  be  discourteous. 

The  following  are  good  examples  of  business  letters: 


Letter  Writing  151 

Messrs.  John  Kirk  &  Son, 
180  State  Street, 
Chicago,  Illinois. 
Gentlemen : 

I  am  sending  you  by  express  today  three 
pictures  which  I  want  you  to  frame  suitably.  For  the 
largest,  a  copy  of  Corot's  "Dance  of  the  Nymphs,"  twenty 
inches  long  and  twelve  inches  wide,  I  wish  you  would  use  a 
four-inch  white  mat,  and  an  oak  frame  perhaps  three  inches 
wide.  If,  however,  you  wish  to  vary  either  of  these  meas- 
urements, I  shall  be  glad  to  submit  to  your  judgment.  I 
wish  you  to  select  the  color  of  the  mat  for  the  second  pic- 
ture, Da  Vinci's  "Mona  Lisa";  but  the  frame  I  want  to 
be  not  more  than  two  inches  wide  and  of  some  wood  which 
will  take  a  rich  sepia  color.  The  smallest  picture,  Fra 
Lippo  Lippi's  "Madonna,"  I  am  in  doubt  about.  Since  it  is 
a  gray  print,  I  suppose  it  should  have  a  gray  mat  and  a  gray 
frame,  but  here,  too,  I  wish  to  rely  on  your  judgment. 
Kindly  tell  me  by  return  mail  when  you  can  have  these 
pictures  ready  for  me,  and  what  the  work  on  them  will  cost. 
Sincerely  yours, 

Caroline  James, 
(Mrs.  Harold  James). 
Sept.  1,  1907. 


Note  that  the  writer  fully  states  her  business.  She  uses 
no  truncated  sentences,  such  as  "Am  sending  you,  etc." 
She  shows  that  she  is  a  married  woman ;  if  she  had  writ- 
ten merely  "Caroline  James"  it  would  have  been  impossi- 
ble to  tell  whether  she  was  maiden,  wife,  or  widow.  The 
proper  signature  for  an  unmarried  woman  in  this  case 
would  be  "(Miss)  Caroline  James";  for  a  widow,  "(Mrs.) 
Caroline  James.  This  letter  also  shows  unmistakably  when 
it  was  written,  where  it  was  written,  and  to  whom  it  was 
written,  as  well  as  by  whom  it  was  written.  Lastly,  the  use 
of  the  colon  instead  of  the  comma  after  the  word  "Gentle- 
men" adds  a  touch  of  impersonality  to  the  letter. 


152  A  !:irst  Year  English  Hook 

40  State  St.,  Detroit,  Mich. 
November  25.  1907. 
Mrs.  Jane  Price, 

Morton,  Mich. 
Dear  Madam  : 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  17th  inst, 
we  arc  sending  you  samples  of  silk  and  ribbon,  hoping  that 
you  can  find  among  them  many  that  you  can  use.  They 
are  all  goods  of  the  season,  guaranteed  to  wear  well,  and 
unusually  cheap. 

Although  you  did  not  ask  us  to  do  so,  we  are  also  sending 
you  samples  of  nets  and  braids  which  are  being  much  use  I 
this  year  in  the  making  of  street  hats  and  dress  hats.  Some 
of  this  braid  is  worth  twice  what  we  are  asking  for  it.  You 
will  find  a  full  account  of  our  other  unusual  bargains  in  the 
catalogue  which  we  are  forwarding.  We  hope  that  you  will 
favor  us  with  your  business. 

Yours  respectfully, 

Bradley  &  Burns. 

A  few  words  about  the  superscription  of  a  letter,  or  the 
particulars  written  upon  the  envelope:  The  name  of  the 
person  addressed  should  be  written  about  halfway  down 
the  envelope,  with  the  same  amount  of  space  left  on  each 
side  of  it.  Each  succeeding  line  of  the  superscription 
should  begin  an  even  distance  to  the  right  of  the  preceding 
line.  Custom  varies  as  to  the  punctuation,  but  the  better 
form  is  to  put  periods  after  the  abbreviations,  and  commas 
between  all  items  except  at  the  ends  of  the  lines. 

Mr.  Thomas  B.  Cooke  The  Rt.  Rev.  Andrew  Smith 

24  Lowrie  Street  Kndermine 

Tuscola,  Douglas  County  Missouri 

Illinois 

When  you  write  postal  cards,  your  practice  must  be  some- 
what different  from  what  it  is  when  you  write  letters.  On 
a  postal  card,  the  superscription  on  the  "address"  side  should 
be  the  same   as  on  a  letter:  but  owing  to  limited   space, 


Letter  Writing  153 

the  courteous  close  and  the  inside  address  are  usually 
omitted,  though,  of  course,  the  place,  the  date  and  the  sig- 
nature should  be  given.  The  message  itself  must  be  confined 
strictly  to  the  matter  in  hand.  It  goes  without  saying  that 
nothing  private  should  be  written  on  a  postal  card. 

In  writing  a  telegram,  you  have  an  incentive  to  condensa- 
tion, since  every  word  costs.  The  practical  rule  is  to  leave 
out  all  words  not  absolutely  needed  to  make  your  meaning 
clear.  On  the  other  hand,  you  should  remember  that  a 
telegram  is  not  punctuated ;  therefore  the  meaning  of  the 
words  alone  must  be  unmistakable. 


Exercises 

i".  As  treasurer  of  the  ball  team,  write  to  Marches 
Company,  81  Broadway,  New  York,  for  supplies. 

2.  Write  to  Marches  Company,  acknowledging  the  re- 
ceipt of  the  supplies. 

j.  Write  to  Harkness  &  Company,  11  Main  Street, 
St.  Louis,  ordering  them  to  make  you  a  bookcase  of  a  cer- 
tain sort. 

4.  Write  a  letter  recommending  a  friend  of  yours  to 
a  certain  position. 

5.  Write  a  letter  to  a  publisher  asking  him  to  send  you 
a  catalogue  of  his  latest  books.  Specify  the  kind  in  which 
you  are  particularly  interested. 

6.  Write  a  letter  to  the  manager  of  a  famous  actor, 
offering  inducements  to  him  to  present  a  play  in  your  town. 

7.  Write  a  reply  from  John  Kirk  &  Son  to  Mrs.  James. 

8.  Write  a  reply  from  Mrs.  Price  to  Bradley  &  Burns. 

p.  Write  as  if  you  were  representing  the  firm  of  Mar- 
tin &  Gates,  wholesale  grocers,  anxious  to  get  the  trade 
of  a  local  grocer. 

10.     You  represent  Louis  Crane,  a  publisher.     Write  to 


154  A  First  Year  English  Book 

the  secretary  of  a  literary  club  in  a  high  school  telling  the 

nature  of  some  books  which  you  think  the  club  should  read. 
//.  Write  to  a  general  passenger  agent  of  some  rail- 
road, asking  the  prices  of  tickets  to  New  York  from  Chi- 
cago, single  and  return,  first  and  second  class,  for  adults 
and  children. 

12.     Write  a  reply  from  the  passenger  agent. 

i;.  Write  as  if  you  were  the  firm  of  Rideout  &  Tame-, 
makers  of  canoes,  explaining  to  Mr.  Hardy  why  the  canoe 
he  ordered  has  not  reached  him. 

14.     Answer  one  of  the  following  advertisements: 


1.  WANTED  -A    high    school    boy    who    can    spell    cor- 

rectly and  write  n  clear  hand,  to  help  me  cata- 
logue hooka  on  Saturdays.  Apply  in  writing  to 
\\  llllatn   Wilson,   st   Buchanan  street. 

2.  WANTED  -A    high    BChool   t'trl    to  read  ah. ml   for  an 

hour  daily  t"  an  Invalid.  Applj  by  lettei  to  Miss 
Ames,    20   Wellesley   Avenue. 


PART    VI 

NARRATION  AXD  DESCRIPTION. 
SECTION  I.     THE  ELEMENTS  OF  THE  STORY 

Narration  is  that  form  of  discourse  which  states  a  se- 
quence of  related  events  occurring  in  time.  Description 
is  that  form  of  discourse  which  describes  objects,  impres- 
sions, or  states  of  mind.  These  two  forms  of  discourse  are 
usually  very  closely  related.  Each  needs  the  other.  If  you 
tell  a  story,  you  describe  the  place  where  it  happened  and 
the  characters  who  were  actors  in  it.  If  you  describe  a 
person,  you  often  find  yourself  telling  some  anecdote  about 
him  in  order  to  show  what  his  character  is.  Of  the  two 
forms,  narration  is  perhaps  more  important ;  certainly  most 
people  find  it  more  interesting.  Description  usually  plays 
a  part  subsidiary  to  narration ;  it  might  almost  be  called  the 
handmaid  of  narration.  Therefore  we  shall  study  descrip- 
tion mainly  in  connection  with  narration. 

Every  story  has  three  elements :  the  plot,  that  is,  the 
events  or  happenings;  the  setting,  that  is,  the  place  where 
and  the  time  when  these  events  occur;  and  the  characters 
who  are  concerned  in  the  events.  The  plot — that  is,  what 
happens — may  be  a  simple  plot,  such  as  the  story  of  Rob- 
inson Crusoe,  where  there  is  only  one  main  character  and 
a  single  chain  of  events ;  or  it  may  be  a  complicated  plot, 
such  as  that  of  Ivanhoe,  with  its  three  sets  of  characters, 
to  all  of  whom  striking  events  happen.  Something  happens  to 
someone,  somezAiere.  If  you  begin  a  story  and  neglect  to 
state  any  of  these  facts,  you  are  sure  to  be  interrupted  by 

155 


156  ./  First  Year  English  Book 

such  questions  as,  "Who  was  it?*'  '"Where  was  he?" 
"When  did  it  happen?"  A  story  usually  opens  by  satisfying 
this  natural  curiosity.  Therefore  the  beginning  should  be 
set  forth  with  especial  care. 

Exercises 

/.  Point  out  time,  place,  and  characters  in  the  follow- 
ing.   In  each  case  state  which  is  presented  first: 

1. 

When  the  present  centur)  was  in  its  teens,  and  on  a  sun- 
shiny morning  in  June,  there  drove  up  to  the  great  iron 
gate  of  Miss  Pinkerton's  academy  for  young  ladies,  on 
Chiswick  Mall,  a  large  family  coach,  with  two  fat  horses 

in  blazing  harness,  driven  by  a  fat  coachman  in  a  three- 
cornered  hat  and  wig,  at  the  rate  of  four  miles  an  hour. 
A  black  servant,  who  reposed  on  the  box  beside  the  fat 
coachman,  uncurled  his  bandy  legs  as  soon  as  the  equipage 
drew  up  opposite  Miss  Pinkerton's  shining  brass  plate,  and 
as  he  pulled  the  bell,  at  least  a  score  of  young  ladies  were 
seen  peering  out  of  the  narrow  window-,  of  the  stately  old 
brick  house.  Nay,  the  acute  observer  might  have  recog- 
nized the  little  red  nose  of  good-natured  Miss  Jemima  Pink- 
erton  herself,  rising  over  some  geranium  pots  in  the  window 
of  that  lady's  own  drawing-room. 

Vanitti   Fair.   William    MAKEPEACE  THACKERAY. 


In  that  pleasant  district  of  merry  England  which  is 
watered  by  the  river  Don,  there  extended  in  ancient  times 
a  large  forest,  covering  the  greater  part  of  the  beaurirul 
hills  and  valleys  which  lie  between  Sheffield  and  the  pleas- 
ant town  of  Doncaster.  The  remains  of  this  extensive 
wood  are  still  to  be  seen  at  the  noble  seat  of  Wentworth. 
of  Warncliffe  Park,  and  around  Rotherham.  Here  haunted 
of  yore  the  fabulous  Dragon  of  Wantley ;  here  were  fought 
many  of  the  most  desperate  battles  during  the  Civil  Wars 
of  the  Roses :  and  here  also  flourished  in  ancient  times  those 


The  Relation  of  the  Incidents  157 

bands  of  gallant  outlaws,  whose  deeds  have  been  rendered 
so  popular  in  English  song. 

Such  being  our  chief  scene,  the  date  of  our  story  refers 
to  a  period  towards  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Richard  I., 
when  his  return  from  his  long  captivity  had  become  an 
event  rather  wished  than  hoped  for  by  his  despairing  sub- 
jects, who  were  in  the  meantime  subjected  to  every  species 
of  subordinate  oppression. 

Ivanhoe,  Sir  Walter  Scott. 

2.  Point  out  the  time,  place,  and  characters  in  Robin 
Hood  and  the  King,  page  16:  The  Last  Lesson,  page  82; 
The  White  Ship,  page  54. 

j.  Begin  two  of  the  following  stories,  stating  the  time, 
the  place,  and  the  characters : 

1.  Sir  Patrick  Spens,  page  20. 

2.  King  Robert  of  Sicily. 

3.  The  Sleeping  Beauty. 

4.  Rapunsel. 

5.  King  Alfred  and  the  Wheat  en  Cakes. 

6.  The  Lady  of  Shalott. 

7.  A  Story  of  Robin  Hood. 

SECTION  II.     THE  RELATION  OF  THE 
INCIDENTS 

In  telling  a  story  it  is  necessary  to  have  in  mind  from  the 
beginning  just  how  it  is  going  to  turn  out.  A  story  is  well 
called  a  chain  of  events;  one  incident  leads  on  to  another, 
and  each  is  a  link  in  the  chain.  No  incident  can  be  omitted 
from  the  series;  no  irrelevant  incident  can  be  inserted  with- 
out being  misleading. 

Exercises 

1.     Read  again   The   White  Ship,  page  54.     Name  the 


158  /  First  Year  English  Boole 

events  in  their  order,  noting  how  one  leads  on  to  another. 
Which  are  most  important? 

_'.  Reread  The  Last  Lesson,  page  82.  Name  the  events 
in  their  order,  noting  how  one  leads  on  to  another.  Which 
are  most  important ': 

3.  Tell  the  story  of  Ichahod  Crane.  Tie  careful  not  to 
omit  any  important  happening,  nor  to  put  in  anything 
misleading. 

./.     Continue  the  chain  of  events  begun  in  the  following: 

1.  There  was  once  a  great  earl  of  the  court  of  Charle- 
magne who  rebelled  against  the  king.  And  being  defeated, 
he  fled  with  his  wife  to  a  village  where  he  found  lodging 
in  the  hut  of  a  poor  man.  1  le  supported  himself  by  burning 
charcoal  in  the  forest  near  by.  and  his  wife  did  beautiful 
needlework  for  the  rich  people  of  the  town.  One  day  the 
king   and    his   courtiers    came    to   hunt    in    the    forest,   and 

2.  Once  there  lived  a  knight  who  was  overgenerous. 
and  entertained  royally  all  who  came  to  his  castle  until  at 
length  he  found  that  his  gifts  and  his  largesse  had  left  him 
penniless,  lie  could  no  longer  go  to  the  court  to  attend 
the  king.  The  minstrels  who  had  shared  and  praised  his 
bounty,  no  more  came  to  his  lonely  castle,  and  those  whom 
he  had  befriended,  seemed  to  have  forgotten  him ;  even  Ber- 
tram, whom  he  had  advanced  from  servitude,  and  for  whom 
he  had  secured  a  place  as  warden  of  the  king's  gate. 

At  last  the  knight  determined  at  Chri>tmastide  to  visit 
the  king.  He  set  out  on  foot  in  his  old  armor  and  his  faded 
cloak.     When  he  arrived  at  the  palace  of  the  king     .     . 

In  every  story  or  chain  of  events,  there  is  one  incident 
which  is  most  important  of  all.  This  is  usually  called  the 
main  incident.  It  does  not  necessarily  stand  at  the  end  of 
the  story ;  sometimes  it  comes  near  the  middle. 

In  the  story  of  Ichabod  Crane,  for  example,  the  main  in- 
cident is  his  meeting  with  the  headless  horseman,  and  thus 
abandoning  his  suit  to  pretty  Katrina  Van  Tassel.  So  in 
Rip  Van   Winkle  the  main  incident  is  Rip's  long  sleep  in 


The  Relation  of  the  Incidents  159 

the  mountains.  In  the  story  of  Joseph,  the  main  incident  is 
the  scene  where  his  brothers  have  come  to  buy  corn  from 
him,  and  he  at  length  discloses  his  identity  to  them. 

Unless  the  main  incident  is  carefully  prepared  for,  how- 
ever, and  the  mind  of  the  reader  is  made  ready  to  receive 
it,  the  story  fails.  For  example,  the  simple  statement  that 
Sidney  Carton  took  a  man's  place  and  died  for  him  on  the 
scaffold  does  not  move  us ;  but  when  it  is  prepared  for,  as 
it  is  in  Dickens'  A  Tale  of  Two  Cities,  we  are  deeply 
affected. 

In  The  Legend  of  Sleepy  Hollozv  the  meeting  with 
the  headless  horseman  is  prepared  for  by  many  clever  de- 
tails. Thus  we  are  told  that  Brom  Bones  was  famed  for 
his  skill  in  horsemanship,  and  that  he  and  his  companions 
were  wont  to  go  riding  about  at  night  bent  on  madcap 
pranks.  Brom  played  various  practical  jokes  upon  Ichabod. 
The  night  of  the  party  Brom  rode  his  favorite  horse  Dare- 
devil. Before  the  party  broke  up,  many  stories  of  neigh- 
borhood ghosts  and  apparitions  were  told,  with  dire  effect  on 
Ichabod,  who  was  superstitious.  All  these  prepare  the 
mind  of  the  reader  for  the  main  incident.  In  Silas 
Marnier  a  main  incident  is  the  finding  of  Dunstan  Cass' 
skeleton  in  the  Stone-pits  with  Marner's  gold,  the  body 
being  identified  by  Godfrey's  riding  whip.  The  hints 
which  lead  to  this  are  the  following:  Dunstan  has  taken 
Godfrey's  riding  whip  on  one  of  his  expeditions.  He  is 
walking  homeward  through  a  deep  fog,  and  is  obliged  to 
feel  his  way  by  means  of  the  riding  whip.  When  he  comes 
to  the  Stone-pits  he  picks  his  way  carefully  among  them, 
and  enters  the  cottage  of  the  weaver.  Marner  is  not  there, 
and  Dunstan  reflects  flippantly  that  he  must  have  fallen 
into  the  Stone-pits.  After  he  leaves  the  cottage  with  the 
old  man's  gold,  Dunstan  has  greater  difficulty  in  walking, 
for  now  he  has  but  one  free  hand  with  which  to  feel  his 
way  by  means  of  the  whip.     And  then  we  lose  sight  of 


160  A  First  Year  English  Book 

Dunstan  till  his  skeleton  is  found  in  the  pits  sixteen  years 
later.  The  details  are  put  unobtrusively  ;  our  attention  is 
caught  by  them  at  the  time,  but  it  is  only  later  that  we 
realize  their  full  significance.  For  the  story  of  Joseph, 
the  best  preparation  is  Joseph's  dream,  in  which  the  sheaves 
in  the  field  bow  to  his  sheaf. 

(  )f  course,  the  method  of  preparing  for  the  main  incident 
differs  with  each  story.  It  depends  on  the  incident  you 
choose.  Silas  Marner  requires  one  sort  of  preparation ; 
the  story  of  Evangeline  another.  But  in  any  case,  you 
must  choose  only  such  details  as  bear  on  your  story  and 
lead  to  your  main  incident.  Omit  all  that  is  irrelevant  or 
unnecessary. 

Take  care,  then,  to  select  your  main  incident ;  prepare  for 
it  by  putting  in  all  that  is  necessary  to  bring  the  story 
naturally  to  this  main  event.  Tell  your  story  in  such  a  way 
that  your  reader's  expectation  is  aroused  without  his  seeing 
just  what  is  going  to  happen ;  treat  important  matters  at 
length  and  pass  lightly  over  unimportant  matters,  and  make 
the  beginning  and  the  end  interesting  and  consistent  with 
your  story. 

5.  Turn  back  to  The  Last  Lesson,  page  82.  The  main 
incident  is  the  master's  farewell  to  the  children  on  the  last 
day  of  school.  It  is  prepared  for  from  the  first :  Francois 
going  reluctantly  to  school,  the  Prussians  in  the  meadow, 
the  blacksmith  at  the  grating,  the  master  in  his  fine  clothes, 
the  visiting  villagers,  the  failure  of  Francois  to  recite,  the 
master's  words  about  French,  the  writing-lesson — all  these 
make  us  ready  for  the  pathos  of  the  moment  when  the  An- 
gelus  rings,  the  Prussians  blow  their  bugles,  and  the  mas- 
ter bids  the  children  farewell  forever. 

6.  Turn  back  to  the  selection  on  page  45  and  the  selec- 
tion on  pages  54-58,  and  state  what  is  the  main  incident  in 


General  and  Definite  Narration  161 

each,  and  the  details  which  prepare  for  this  main  incident. 

y.  Find  an  incident  in  the  life  of  Washington  which 
would  make  the  main  incident  of  a  story;  in  the  life  of 
Alexander  Hamilton ;  of  Queen  Elizabeth ;  of  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh ;  of  Thomas  Edison ;  of  Edmund  Kean ;  of  Cyrus 
\V.  Field ;  of  Christopher  Columbus. 

8.     Tell  the  story  of  the  picture  opposite  page  160. 

0.     Tell  the  story  of  the  picture  opposite  page  180. 

SECTION    III.     GENERAL   AND    DEFINITE    NAR- 
RATION 

For  the  purposes  of  the  writer,  narration  may  be  divided 
into  two  kinds,  general  and  definite.  The  first  kind  simply 
states  that  such  and  such  events  took  place,  without  trying 
to  make  the  reader  see  the  characters  at  a  particular  place 
and  time.  The  second  kind  narrates  events  as  occurring 
at  a  definite  time,  and  in  a  definite  place,  and  makes  the 
reader  see  the  characters,  and  hear  what  they  say.  The 
following  examples  will  make  the  difference  clear: 

General  Narration 

When  Oedipus  came  to  the  city  of  Thebes,  he  found  the 
community  afflicted  with  a  monster  that  infested  the  high 
road.  It  was  called  the  Sphinx.  It  had  the  body  of  a 
lion  and  the  upper  part  of  a  woman.  It  lay  crouched  on 
the  top  of  a  rock,  and  arresting  all  travelers  who  came  that 
way,  propounded  to  them  a  riddle,  with  the  condition  that 
those  who  could  solve  it  should  pass  safe,  but  those  who 
failed  should  be  killed.  Not  one  had  yet  succeeded  in 
guessing  it.  Oedipus,  not  daunted  by  these  alarming  ac- 
counts, boldly  advanced  to  the  trial.  The  Sphinx  asked 
him,  "What  animal  is  it  that  in  the  morning  goes  on  four 
feet,  at  noon  on  two,  and  in  the  evening  upon  three?" 
Oedipus  replied,  "Man,  who  in  childhood  creeps  on  hands 
and  knees,  in  manhood  walks  erect,  and  in  old  age  goes 
with  the  aid  of  a   staff."     The   Sphinx,  mortified   at  the 


162  A  First  Year  English  Book 

collapse  of  her  riddle,  cast  herself  down  from  the  rock  and 

perished. 

rhis.s,,-  Myths,  <  !harles  M.  <;avi 

Definite  Narration 

It  was  one  January  morning,  very  early— a  pinching, 
frosty  morning — the  cove  all  graj  with  hoarfrost,  the 
ripple  lapping  softly  on  the  stones,  the  snn  still  low  and 
only    touching   the    hilltops   and    shining    far    to   seaward. 

The  captain  had  risen  earlier  than  usual,  and  set  out  down 
the  beach,  his  cutlass  swinging  under  the  broad  skirts  of 
the  old  blue  coat,  his  brass  telescope  under  his  arm,  his 
hat  tilted  hack  upon  his  head.  I  remember  his  breath 
hanging  like  smoke  in  his  wake  as  he  Strode  off,  and  the 
last  .sound  I  heard  of  him,  as  he  turned  the  big  rock,  was 
a  loud  snort  of  indignation,  as  though  his  mind  was  still 
running  upon  Dr.  Livese) 

Well,  mother  was  upstairs  with  father;  and  I  was  laying 
the  breakfast  table  against  the  captain's  return,  when  the 
parlor  door  opened,  and  a  man  stepped  in  on  whom  f  had 
never  set  my  eyes  before.  He  was  a  pale,  tallowy  creature, 
wanting  two  fingers  of  the  left  hand;  and.  though  he  wore 
a  cutlass,  he  did  not  look  much  like  a  fighter.  I  had  always 
my  eye  open  for  seafaring  men,  with  one  leg  or  two.  and 
I  remember  this  one  puzzled  me.  He  was  not  sailorly,  and 
yet  he  had  a  smack  of  the  sea  about  him  too. 

I  asked  him  what  was  for  his  service,  and  he  said  he 
would  take  rum;  but  as  I  was  going  out  of  the  room  to 
fetch  it  he  sat  down  upon  a  table  and  motioned  me  to  draw- 
near.    I  paused  where  I  was  with  my  napkin  in  my  hand. 

Home  here,  sonny,'*  says  he.  "Come  nearer  here."  \ 
took  a  step  nearer. 

"Is  this  here  table  for  my  mate  Rill?"  he  asked,  with  a 
kind  of  leer.     .     . 

Truism,   island,  Robert  Louis  stkvkxson. 

Exercises 

I.  In  the  following  examples  of  definite  narration,  name 
all  the  details  which  make  you  see  just  what  time  it  is,  just 
where  it  is,  just  how  things  look,  just  what  happens,  and 
just  how  the  characters  feel.  ^ 


General  and  Definite  Narration  163 

It  was  deathly  still.  The  homespun  bedclothes  and 
handmade  quilts  of  brilliant  colors  had  been  thrown  in  a 
heap  on  one  of  the  two  beds  of  hickory  withes ;  the  kitchen 
utensils — a  crane  and  a  few  pots  and  pans — had  been  piled 
on  the  hearth,  along  with  strings  of  herbs  and  beans  and 
red  pepper-pods — all  ready  for  old  Nathan  when  he  should 
come  over  for  them,  next  morning,  with  his  wagon.  Not  a 
living  thing  was  to  be  heard  or  seen  that  suggested  human 
life,  and  Chad  sat  down  in  the  deepening  loneliness,  watch- 
ing the  shadows  rise  up  the  green  walls  that  bound  him  in, 
and  wondering  what  he  should  do,  and  where  he  should  go, 
if  he  was  not  to  go  to  old  Nathan ;  while  Jack,  who  seemed 
to  know  that  some  crisis  was  come,  settled  on  his  haunches 
a  little  way  off,  to  wait,  with  perfect  faith  and  patience,  for 
the  boy  to  make  up  his  mind.     .     .     . 

Just  above  him,  and  across  the  buck  antlers  over  the 
door,  lay  a  long  flint-lock  rifle ;  a  bulletpouch,  a  powder- 
horn,  and  a  small  raccoon-skin  haversack  hung  from  one 
of  the  prongs ;  and  on  them  the  boy's  eyes  rested  longingly. 
Old  Nathan,  he  knew,  claimed  that  the  dead  man  had  owed 
him  money ;  and  he  further  knew  that  old  Nathan  meant 
to  take  all  he  could  lay  his  hands  on  in  payment ;  but  he 
climbed  resolutely  upon  a  chair  and  took  the  things  down, 
arguing  the  question,  meanwhile. 

"Uncle  Jim  said  once  he  aimed  to  give  this  rifle  gun  to 
me.  Maybe  he  was  foolin',  but  I  don't  believe  he  owed  ole 
Nathan  so  much,  an'  anyways,"  he  muttered  grimly,  "I 
reckon  Uncle  Jim  'ud  kind  o'  like  fur  me  to  git  the  better 
of  that  old  devil — jes  a  leetle,  anyways."     .     .     . 

A  moment  more  and  he  had  his  pack  and  his  rifle  on  one 
shoulder  and  was  climbing  the  fence  at  the  wood-pile. 
There  he  stopped  once  more  with  a  sudden  thought,  and 
wrenching  loose  a  short  ax  from  the  face  of  a  hickory 
log,  staggered  under  the  weight  of  his  weapons  up  the 
mountain.  The  sun  was  yet  an  hour  high  and,  on  the  spur, 
he  leaned  his  rifle  against  the  big  poplar  and  set  to  work 
with  his  ax  on  a  sapling  close  by — talking  frankly  now  to 
the  God  who  made  him. 

"I  reckon  You  know  it,  but  I'm  a-goin'  to  run  away  now. 
I  haint  got  no  daddy  an'  no  mammy,  an'  I  haint  nuver  had 
none  as  I  knows — but  Aunt  Jane  hyeh — she's  ben  jes'  like 


164  A  First  Year  English  Book 

a  mother  to  me  an'  I'm  a 'loin'  fer  her  jes'  whut  I  wish 
You'd  have  somebody  do  fer  my  mother,  ef  You  know 
whar  she's  a-la\  in'." 

Eight  round  sticks  he  cut  swiftly — four  long  and  four 
short — and  with  these  he  built  a  low  pen,  as  is  the  custom 
of  the  mountaineers,  close  about  the  fresh  mound,  and, 
borrowing  a  board  or  two  from  each  of  the  other  mound-. 
covered  the  grave  from  the  rain.  Then  he  sunk  the  ax 
into  the  trunk  of  the  great  poplar  as  high  up  as  he  could 
reach — so  that  it  could  easily  he  seen— and,  brushing  the 
sweat  from  his  face,  he  knelt  down. 

"God,"  he  -aid,  simply,  "I  hain't  nothin'  hut  a  hoy,  but  I 
got  to  ack  like  a  man  now.  I'm  a-goin'  now.  I  don't 
believe  You  keer  much,  and  seems  like  I  bring  ever'body 
bad  luck;  an'  I'm  a-goin'  to  live  up  hyeh  on  the  mountain 
jus'  as  long  as  I  can.  I  don't  want  You  to  think  I'm 
a-complainin' — fer  I  aint.  Only  hit  does  seem  sort  o' 
curious  that  You'd  let  me  he  down  hyeh — with  me  a-keerin' 
fer  nobody  now,  an'  nobody  a-keerin'  fer  me.  lint  Thy 
ways  is  inscrutable — leastwise,  that's  whut  the  circuit-rider 
says — an'  I  ain't  got  a  word  more  to  say.     Amen." 

The  Little  Shepherd  of  Kingdom  Come,  John  Fox,  Jr. 

2.  Point  out  the  same  in  The  White  Ship,  The  Last 
Class;  in  some  story  of  your  own  selection. 

j.  Compare  the  account  of  the  return  of  Ulysses  in 
Gayley's  Classic  Myths,  with  Stephen  Phillips'  Ulysses, 
Act  III. 

/.  Compare  one  of  the  stories  in  the  Arabian  Knights, 
Riverside  Literature  Series,  with  any  larger  version  of  the 
story. 

5.  Read  a  story  from  the  Arabian  Nights  or  Tales 
of  a  Wayside  Inn,  or  Hawthorne's  Twice  Told  Tales; 
point  out  in  it  the  scenes  which  are  told  in  definite  narra- 
tive ;  point  out  also  the  general  narrative  which  connects 
these  scenes. 

6.  Read  one  of  Lamb's  Tales  from  Shakespeare,  point- 
ing out  the  general  and  the  definite  narrative. 


Selection  of  Details  165 

SECTION     IV.     DESCRIPTION.     SELECTION     OF 
DETAILS 

It  is  obvious  that  a  story  is  more  vivid  when  the  writer 
makes  us  see  the  characters  and  the  places,  as  if  they  were 
actually  before  us.  On  the  other  hand,  a  narrative  that  is 
overburdened  with  description  loses  interest.  Thus  it  be- 
comes necessary  to  tell  as  much  as  possible  in  a  few  words. 
The  first  thing  to  learn,  then,  is  what  to  leave  out.  It  goes 
without  saying  that  you  will  omit  what  everyone  takes  for 
granted;  for  example,  if  you  were  describing  a  man,  you 
would  not  say  he  had  two  eyes  and  a  nose.  But  you  would 
say  that  he  was  of  medium  height,  and  that  he  wore  an 
ordinary-looking  business  suit.  This  gives  the  general  look 
of  the  man,  and  so  forms  a  natural  part  of  your  description ; 
but  it  is  only  the  beginning.  You  must  go  on,  then,  and  give 
the  individualizing  details  which  mark  him  out  from  all 
other  men  of  medium  height  wearing  business  suits.  You 
would  say  that  his  mild  brown  eyes  have  an  expression  as 
if  he  were  trying  vainly  to  recall  something  he  had  for- 
gotten ;  and  that  his  face  is  barred  on  the  left  side  with  a 
scar,  which  makes  the  left  corner  of  his  mouth  droop. 
Thus  you  would  give  a  picture  of  this  particular  man. 

Your  object  is  to  make  the  reader  see  the  person,  place, 
or  thing  as  you  saw  it,  and  feel  it  as  you  felt  it.  Two 
people,  each  with  good  powers  of  observation,  look  at  the 
same  object,  but  their  impressions  of  the  object  differ. 
Remember  that  what  you  see  has  a  particular  meaning  for 
you,  and  that  you  must  convey  that  meaning  to  your  reader. 

There  are  three  points  to  keep  in  mind  in  reference  to 
any  literary  description  you  may  make : 

1.  You  must  note  the  general  shape  or  outline  of  the 
person,  place,  or  object. 

2.  You  must  note  the  individual  traits  which  belong 
to  this  person,  place,  or  object,  and  to  no  other. 


166  A  First  Year  English  Book 

3.  You  must  know  what  main  impression  the  person, 
place,  or  object  makes  upon  you.  These  points  we  shall 
study  in  their  order. 

First,  you  should  "notice  the  general  look  of  what  you  are 
going  to  describe.  A  good  way  of  making  your  reader  see 
the  general  appearance  of  a  man,  for  example,  is  to  com- 
pare him  to  something  he  resembles.  This  method  can  be 
more  easily  applied  to  the  description  of  places  than  of 
persons.  Xotc,  however,  the  aptness  of  the  following 
example : 

The  cognomen  of  Crane  was  not  inapplicable  to  his  per- 
sun.  lie  was  tall,  but  exceedingly  lank,  with  narrow  shoul- 
ders, long  arms  and  legs,  hands  that  dangled  a  mile  out  of 
his  sleeves,  feet  that  might  have  served  for  shovels,  and  his 
whole  frame  most  loosely  hung  together.  His  head  was 
small  and  flat  at  top,  with  huge  ears,  large  green  glassy 
eyes,  and  a  long  snipe  nose,  so  that  it  looked  like  a  weather- 
cock perched  upon  his  spindle  neck  to  tell  which  way  the 
wind  blew.  To  see  him  striding  along  the  profile  of  a  hill 
on  a  windy  day.  with  his  clothes  bagging  and  fluttering 
about  him,  one  might  have  mistaken  him  for  the  genius  of 
famine  descending  upon  the  earth,  or  some  scarecrow  eloped 
from  a  cornfield. 

Tht   Sketch  Book,  Washington  Irving. 

The  individual  traits  which  express  the  real  essence  of 
a  person  are  usually  as  few  as  they  are  telling.  A  few 
details,  if  rightly  selected,  will  make  you  see  a  whole  picture. 
For  example : 

"A  tall,  strong,  heavy,  nut-brown  man  ;  his  tarry  pigtail 
falling"  over  the  shoulders  of  his  soiled  blue  coat;  his  hands 
ragged  and  scarred,  with  black,  broken  nails;  and  the  sabre 
cut  across  one  cheek,  a  dirty,  livid  white." 

Exercise  • 

1.  Study  the  descriptions  in  Rip  Van  Winkle,  or  The 
Legend  of  Sleepy  Hollow,  or  in  Chapter  [  or  XIII  or  XXV 


Arrangement  of  Details  167 

of   Treasure  Island.     Point  out  the  most  lifelike  pictures 
given  by  a  few  strokes. 


SECTION  V.    DESCRIPTION.    ARRANGEMENT 
OF   DETAILS 

You  can  make  no  effective  description  of  a  person  until 
you  know  the  kind  of  man  he  is,  the  impression  he  makes 
upon  you.  Until  you  are  sure  of  this,  you  do  not  know 
what  details  to  put  in  and  what  to  leave  out.  For  example, 
the  man  you  are  trying  to  describe  is  a  millionaire,  noted 
for  his  parsimony.  You  would  of  course  mention  that  he 
wore  an  ordinary,  even  shabby,  business  suit,  for  this  detail 
helps  to  bring-  out  the  impression  of  a  parsimonious  million- 
aire ;  and  you  wish  to  introduce  all  significant  details  which 
help  to  produce  this  impression.  If,  however,  you  were 
describing  a  merchant,  the  fact  that  he  wore  an  ordinary 
business  suit  would  be  taken  for  granted,  as  well  as  the  fact 
that  he  had  two  eyes  and  a  nose.  In  short,  decide  what  main 
impression  you  wish  to  make,  and  choose  only  the  details 
which  bring  out  that  impression. 

Sometimes  a  writer  tells  you  in  a  sentence  what  im- 
pression he  wishes  to  give  you ;  sometimes  he  merely  pre- 
sents details  which  give  the  impression  without  stating  the 
impression  in  a  sentence.  For  instance,  in  the  following  de- 
scription of  Modred,  the  details  themselves  give  you  the 
impression  of  his  slyness.  In  the  description  of  the  Vir- 
ginian, the  details  are  reen forced  by  sentences  at  the  begin- 
ing  and  end  which  state  the  general  impression. 


Modred's  narrow  foxy  face 
Heart-hiding  smile  and  gray  persistent  eye. 

Guinevere,  Alfred  Tennyson. 


i68  A  First  Year  English  Book 


Lounging  there  at  ease  against  the  wall  was  a  slim 
young  giant,  more  beautiful  than  pictures.  His  broad,  soft 
hat  was  pushed  back  ;  a  loose-knotted,  dull-scarlet  handker- 
chief sagged  from  his  throat,  and  one  casual  thumb  was 
hooked  in  the  cartridge-belt  that  slanted  across  his  hip.  He 
had  plainly  come  many  miles  from  somewhere  across  the 
vast  horizon,  as  the  dust  upon  him  showed.  His  boots 
were  white  with  it.  llis  overalls  were  gray  with  it.  The 
weather-beaten  bloom  of  bis  face  shone  through  it  duskily, 
as  the  ripe  peaches  look  upon  their  trees  in  a  dry  season. 
Bui  no  dinginess  of  travel  or  ^-habbiness  of  attire  could 
tarnish  the  splendor  that  radiated  from  his  youth  and 
strength. 

The  Virginian,  Owes  Wister. 

The  next  example  should  show  you  that  any  object,  or 
creature,  however  commonplace,  may  be  individualized  and 
made  interesting. 

She  was  an  egregious  fowl.  She  was  huge  and  gaunt 
with  great  yellow  beak.  And  she  stood  straight  and  alert 
in  the  manner  of  responsible  people.  There  was  some- 
thing wrong  with  her  tail.  It  slanted  far  to  one  side,  one 
feather  in  it  twice  as  long  as  the  rest.  Feathers  on  her 
breast  there  were  none.  These  had  been  worn  entirely  off 
by  her  habit  of  sitting  on  potatoes  and  other  rough  ab- 
normal objects.  And  this  lent  to  her  appearance  an  air 
singularly  at  variance  with  her  otherwise  prudish  ensemble. 
Her  eye  was  remarkably  bright,  but  somehow  it  had  an 
outraged  expression.  It  was  as  if  she  went  about  the  world 
perpetually  scandalized  over  the  doings  that  fell  beneath 
her  notice.  Her  legs  were  blue,  long,  and  remarkably 
stout. 

The  Virginian,  Owen  Wister. 

Exercises 

/.  In  the  following  description  of  a  person  point  out 
the  general,  large  impression  of  the  man,  and  the  individual 
details. 


Character  169 

There,  with  his  shoulder  propped  against  the  jamb  of 
the  door,  stood  a  tall,  broad-shouldered  peasant,  about 
thirty  years  of  age.  In  costume,  he  was  a  typical  tramp ;  in 
face  and  figure,  a  genuine  Slav — a  rare  specimen  of  the  race. 
He  wore  a  red  cotton  shirt,  incredibly  dirty  and  tattered, 
full  trousers  of  coarse,  homemade  linen,  and  on  one  of  his 
feet  were  the  remains  of  a  rubber  boot,  while  on  the  other 
was  an  old  leather  boot-leg.  His  light,  reddish-brown  hair 
was  tangled  all  over  his  head,  and  small  chips,  straws  and 
bits  of  paper  stuck  in  the  snarls ;  all  these  things  also 
adorned  his  luxuriant  light-reddish  beard,  which  covered  his 
chest  like  a  fan.  His  long,  pallid,  weary  face  was  lighted 
up  by  large,  pensive  blue  eyes,  which  gazed  at  me  with  a 
caressing  smile,  and  his  lips,  which  were  handsome,  although 
a  trifle  pale,  also  smiled  beneath  his  reddish  mustache.  This 
smile  seemed  to  say:  "This  is  the  sort  of  fellow  I  am 
.     .     .     Don't  condemn  me.     .     .     ." 

2.     Write  a  brief  description  of  a  tramp, 
j.     Describe  a  beggar,  so  as  to  show  that  he  is  not  yet 
accustomed  to  begging. 

4.  Describe  a  gypsy. 

5.  Describe  the  queerest  character  you  know. 

6.  Write  descriptions  of  what  you  see  in  the  following 
situations : 

1.  I  had  cautiously  raised  myself  for  an  instant  till  my 
eyes  were  level  with  the  window  sill ;  then  I  dropped  to 
the  ground,  for  in  that  instant  I  had  recognized     .     .     . 

2.  A  crowd  was  thick  at  the  street  corner  and  I  ran  up 
thinking  there  had  been  an  accident.  At  first  I  could  not 
get  even  a  glimpse  of  the  cleared  space  in  the  center ;  but 
presently  I  dodged  under  the  elbow  of  a  tall  man  in  a  black 
coat,  and  craning  my  neck,  I  saw  a  doctor  kneeling  beside 
a  little  old  woman.     .     .     . 

SECTION  VI.     CHARACTER 

In  real  life  when  you  are  observing  a  person,  you  judge 
of  what  he  is  chiefly  by  what  he  says  and  does.     Very 


170  A  First  Year  English  Book 

often  in  writing  it  is  advisable  to  suggest  what  a  person  is 
like,  either  by  describing  him  so  as  to  show  what  his 
character  is,  or  by  telling  something  he  does  which  reveals 
his  character.  For  example,  the  blind  man  Pew  came  to 
the  Admiral  Benbow  fnn. 

"I  hear  a  voice,"  said  he,  "a  young  voice.  Will  you  give 
me  your  hand,  my  kind  young  friend,  and  lead  me  in?" 

1  held  out  my  hand,  and  the  horrible,  soft-spoken,  eyel 
creature  gripped  it  in  a  moment  like  a  vise.     I  was  so  much 
startled  that    I    struggled   to  withdraw  ;  but  the  blind  man 
pulled  me  up  close  to  him  with  a  single  action  of  his  arm. 

The  incident  in  The  Little  Shepherd  of  Kingdom  Come 
where  Chad  is  eager  to  get  away  before  the  neighbors  come. 
but  stops  to  milk  old  Nance,  gives  us  an  insight  into  the 
boy's  character. 

In  the  following  description  of  the  Ancient  Mariner. 
Coleridge  does  not  attempt  to  tell  us  how  worn  and  wild 
the  mariner's  face  must  have  looked  from  his  suffering. 
lie  achieves  a  stronger  result  by  telling  how  the  man's 
appearance  affected  the  Pilot,  the  Hermit,  and  the  Boy. 

I  moved  my  lips — the  Pilot  shrieked 
And  fell  down  in  a  fit ; 
The  holy  Hermit  raised  his  eyes. 
And  prayed  where  he  did  sit. 

I  took  the  oars;  the  Pilot's  boy. 
Who  now  doth  crazy  go, 
Laughed  loud  and  long,  and  all  the  while 
His  eves  went  to  and  fro. 
"Ha!  Ha!"  quoth  he,  "full  plain  I  see 
The  Devil  knows  how  to  row." 

Exercises 

1.  Point  out  all  descriptions  and  incidents  which  sug- 
gest character  in  the  following: 


Character  171 

1.  Jackanapes,  Mrs.  Ewing. 

2.  The  Great  Stone  Face,  Hawthorne. 

3.  Wee  Willie  Winkie,  Kipling. 

4.  Will  Wimble,  {The  Spectator  Papers),  Addison. 

2.  Describe  a  boy  who,  later  in  the .  story,  is  to  betray 
his  friend. 

5.  Tell  something  a  boy  does  which  shows  he  is  vacil- 
lating, although  he  tries  to  be  firm. 

4.  Show  the  character  of  an  old  lady  whom  the  children 
all  like. 

5.  Describe  a  boy  who  is  recklessly  brave  and  who  be- 
comes a  famous  spy. 

6.  Describe  a  boy  who  is  recklessly  brave  in  sudden 
danger  but  whose  courage  breaks  down  under  a  long  strain. 

J.  Describe  a  woman  whose  character  is  so  sincere  and 
honest  that  her  son  will  believe  it  impossible  for  her  to  tell 
a  lie. 

8.  Tell  the  following  story,  making  it  as  clear  and  life- 
like as  possible.    These  are  the  facts  in  brief: 

In  one  of  the  many  Italian  uprisings  against  Austria,  a 
Sicilian  youth,  who  had  already  exhibited  great  daring,  is 
said  to  have  volunteered  as  a  spy.  Captured  by  the  Aus- 
trians  and  summarily  condemned  to  be  shot,  he  lost  cour- 
age. His  mother,  permitted  to  visit  his  cell,  found  him  in 
such  agony  of  fear  as  to  compel  the  contempt  of  his  Aus- 
trian guards.  After  appealing  vainly  to  his  fortitude,  she 
told  him,  in  a  feigned  scorn,  that  the  Austrians  had  at  last 
rated  him  not  worth  shooting ;  that  they  intended,  for  the 
public  exhibition  of  his  cowardice,  to  go  through  the  form 
with  blank  cartridges.  Believing  this  lie,  he  stood  up  smil- 
ing next  morning  before  the  rifles — and,  of  course,  was 
instantly  killed.* 

You  may  vary  the  setting  of  this  story ;  choose  your  own 
time  and  place.     The  incidents  might  happen  in  the  Civil 

*  Baldwin:    A   College   Manual   of  Rhetoric,  page  142. 


172  A  First  Year  English  Book 

War,  in  the    Franco-Prussian   War,  or  oven   in   the  recent 
Spanish-American  War.    In  each  case,  however,  the  armies 

must  be  operating  near  the  home  of  the  spy. 

References  for  Suggestive  Reading 
Jackanapes,  Mrs.  Ewing. 
The  Story  of  i/  Short  Life,  Mrs.  Ewing. 
./  Soldier  of  the  Umpire.  Page. 
Wee  Willie  Winkie,  Kipling. 

SECTION  VII.     MOOD 

Very  frequently  in  writing  it  is  necessary  to  describe  a 
character  so  as  to  show  what  mood  he  is  in.  This  may 
appear  from  what  he  does  and  says,  or  from  the  way  he 
looks.     For  example : 

Long  John  Silver  and  another  of  the  crew  stood  face  to 
face  in  conversation. 

The  sun  beat  full  upon  them.  Silver  had  thrown  his  hat 
beside  him  on  the  ground,  and  his  great,  smooth,  blond 
face,  all  shining  with  heat,  was  lifted  to  the  other  man's  in 
a  kind  of  appeal. 

"Mate,"  he  was  saying,  "it's  because  I  thinks  gold  dust 
of  you — gold  dust,  and  you  may  lay  to  that!  If  I  hadn't 
took  to  you  like  pitch,  do  you  think  I'd  have  been  here 
a-warning  of  you?  All's  up — you  can't  make  nor  mend; 
it's  to  save  your  neck  that  I'm  a-speaking,  and  if  one  of  the 
wild  'tins  knew  it,  where  'ud  I  be,  Tom — now,  tell  me, 
where  'ud  I  be?" 

"Silver,"  said  the  other  man — and  I  observed  he  was  not 
only  red  in  the  face,  but  spoke  as  hoarse  as  a  crow,  and 
his  voice  shook,  too,  like  a  taut  rope.  "Silver,"  says  he, 
"you're  old  and  you're  honest,  or  has  the  name  for  it ;  and 
you've  money,  too,  which  lots  of  poor  sailors  hasn't ;  and 
you're  brave,  or  I'm  mistook.  And  will  you  tell  me  you'll 
let  yourself  be  led  away  with  that  kind  of  a  mess  of  swabs? 
Not  you  !  As  sure  as  God  sees  me,  I'd  sooner  lose  my  hand. 
If  I  turn  agin  my  dooty — " 

And  then  all  of  a  sudden  he  was  interrupted  by  a  noise. 


Setting  173 

.  .  .  Far  away  out  in  the  marsh  there  arose,  all  of  a 
sudden,  a  sound  like  the  cry  of  anger,  then  another  on  the 
back  of  it ;  and  then  one  horrid  long-drawn  scream.  .  .  . 
Tom  had  leaped  at  the  second  like  a  horse  at  the  spur ;  but 
Silver  had  not  winked  an  eye.     .     .     . 

".     .     .     In  heaven's  name,  tell  me  what  was  that?" 
"That?"  returned  Silver,  smiling  away,  but  warier  than 
ever,  his  eye  a  mere  pin-point  in  his  big  face,  but  gleaming 
like  a  crumb  of  glass.     "That?     Oh,   I   reckon   that'll  be 
Alan." 

Treasure  Island,  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 

Exercises 

1.  Read  Treasure  Island,  Chapter  XXV ;  point  out  all 
indications  of  mood. 

2.  Read  any  story  from  your  literature  course  and  point 
out  all  indications  of  mood. 

j.     Read   The  Last  Lesson,  page  82,  for  this  purpose. 

4.  Write  a  description  of  a  child  sitting  on  the  curb, 
the  broken  pieces  of  a  beautiful  pitcher  in  his  hands.  De- 
scribe so  as  to  show  mood. 

5.  Write  a  description  of  a  dog  on  a  street  corner 
thronged  with  people.     Show  that  he  has  lost  his  master. 

6.  Write  a  description  to  show  a  boy  coming  towards 
an  old  house  with  large  barns  and  grounds.  Show  by  his 
actions  that  he  has  been  away  a  long  time  and  does  not 
know  whether  or  not  his  father  and  mother  are  still  there. 

7.  Write  a  description  of  a  girl  entering  a  railway  sta- 
tion, carrying  a  worn  satchel,  an  old  umbrella,  and  a  lunch 
box.  Show  that  she  does  not  know  where  to  go  and  that 
her  friends  have  failed  to  meet  her. 

8.  Write  a  description  to  show  that  a  boy  who  is  usually 
cheerful,  is  depressed  at  receiving  a  low  mark  in  exami- 
nation. 

p.  Oral.  What  is  the  mood  of  each  character  in  the 
picture  opposite  page  200?  Describe  the  picture  so  as  to 
show  this. 


174  -4  First  Year  English  Book 

SECTION    VIII.     SETTING 

It  is  often  very  important  in  a  story  that  we  see  clearly 
the  place  where  the  story  happens.  Very  often  the  action 
is  determined  by  the  "lay  of  the  land."  the  situation  of  the 
house,  or  the  build  of  the  ship's  cabin. 

Such  description  is  by  no  means  easy.  Places,  objects, 
space-relations,  arc  proper  subjects  for  the  painter,  rather 
than  for  the  writer,  who  must,  therefore,  study  the  art  with 
special  care. 

First,  as  is  the  case  in  describing  persons,  you  should 
notice  the  general  look  of  the  place  you  are  going  to 
describe,  and  should  present  its  general  shape  by  a  com- 
parison with  some  familiar  object  which  it  resembles.  A 
well-known  example  is  Victor  Hugo's  description  of  the  bat- 
tle-field of  Waterloo: 

Those  who  would  get  a  clear  idea  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo 
have  only  to  lay  down  upon  the  ground  in  their  mind  a 
capital  letter  A.  The  left  stroke  of  the  A  is  the  road  to 
Xivelles,  the  right  stroke  is  the  road  from  Genappe,  the 
cross  of  the  A  is  the  sunken  road  from  Ohain  to  Braine 
I'Alleud.  The  top  of  the  A  is  Mont  Saint  Jean,  Wellington 
is  there;  the  left-hand  lower  point  is  Hougomont,  Teille  is 
there  with  Jerome  Bonaparte ;  the  right-hand  lower  point 
is  La  Belle  Alliance,  Napoleon  is  there.  A  little  below  the 
point  where  the  cross  of  the  A  meets  and  cuts  the  right 
stroke,  is  La  Haie  Sainte.  At  the  middle  of  this  cross  is 
the  precise  point  where  the  final  battle  word  was  spoken. 
There  the  lion  is  placed,  the  involuntary  symbol  of  the 
supreme  heroism  of  the  Imperial  Guard.  The  triangle  con- 
tained at  the  top  of  the  A,  between  the  two  strokes  and 
the  cross,  is  the  plateau  of  Mont  Saint  Jean.  The  struggle 
for  this  plateau  was  the  whole  of  the  battle. 

Les  Miserable*,  Victor  Hr. 

Exercises 
i.     Describe  the  town  in  which  you  live,  using  a  com- 
parison to  explain  the  shape  of  it. 


Setting  175 

2.  In  the  same  way  describe  some  body  of  .water  which 
you  have  seen. 

5.  Describe  the  village  of  Stratford-on-Avon  as  shown 
in  the  picture  opposite  page  220. 

In  describing  places  you  must  begin  at  a  definite  point, 
and  describe  what  you  see  from  that  point,  never  changing 
your  position  or  point  of  view.  You  must  not  begin  to 
describe  a  town  as  if  you  were  standing  on  the  steps  of  the 
town  hall,  and  then  go  on  as  if  you  were  standing  on  the 
bridge.  In  the  following  example,  the  writer  chooses  a 
definite  point  of  view  and  keeps  it  throughout : 

When  the  young  men  awoke  they  found  that  their  win- 
dows looked  out  upon  a  prospect  of  soft  and  tranquil  love- 
liness, quiet  and  peaceful  as  a  happy  dream.  Immediately 
below  the  windows  was  a  terrace,  and  beyond  the  terrace 
an  orchard  of  fruit-trees,  then  leafless,  but  just  breaking 
into  blossom,  the  twisted  branches  gray  with  lichens  and 
sparkling  with  dewdrops ;  and  beyond  this  again  a  stretch 
of  park  and  pastures  and  vineyards,  and  then,  in  the  far 
distance,  the  Jura  Mountains,  with  their  dark  fir  forests  and 
escarpments  of  white  rocks.  Between  the  windows  and 
these  distant  hills  shadowy  gradations  of  light  revealed  the 
ridges  of  vineyard  and  woodland  with  a  delicate,  faint 
tracery  of  outline,  and  a  clear  distinctness,  in  the  softly 
tinted  morning  air. 

The  Countess  Eve,  J.  H.  Shorthouse. 

Exercises 

/.  Go  back  to  the  selection  on  pages  123-125,  and  note 
how  the  author  has  selected  one  definite  point  of  view  and 
has  kept  to  that  consistently. 

2.  Make  a  diagram  of  your  school  grounds.  Choose 
a  point  of  view,  and  then  describe  the  grounds  as  you  see 
them  from  that  point. 

3.  Write  a  description,  making  the  point  of  view  the 
top  of  a  hill. 


176  A  First  Year  English  Book 

4.  Write  a  description  of  a  railway  station,  selecting 
carefully  your  point  of  view  as  an  artist  would  who  was 
trying  to  make  a  good  picture. 

5.  Describe  what  you  can  see  from  your  window. 

6.  Look  at  the  picture  opposite  page  40.  and  decide  why 
the  artist  chose  the  point  of  view  from  which  he  painted  it. 

7.  Describe  a  room  as  seen  by  a  sparrow  on  the  window- 
sill. 

After  you  have  chosen  your  point  of  view,  you  will  try 
to  arrange  the  details  in  the  most  effective  order.  Some- 
times you  will  go  from  the  nearest  point  to  the  farthest,  or 
from  the  largest  detail  to  the  smallest.  In  the  preceding 
example,  page  175,  the  writer  describes  the  details  as  they 
are  contiguous — that  is,  in  the  order  of  space,  beginning 
nearby  and  going  farther  and  farther  away.  The  following 
description  begins  at  a  definite  point  at  the  bottom  and  pro- 
ceeds upward. 

The  scene  before  the  reddleman's  eyes  was  a  gradual 
scries  of  ascents  from  the  level  of  the  road  backward  into 
the  heart  of  the  heath.  It  embraced  hillocks,  pits,  ridges, 
acclivities,  one  behind  the  other,  till  all  was  finished  by  a 
high  hill  cutting  against  the  still  light  sky.  The  traveler's 
eye  hovered  about  these  things  for  a  time,  and  finally  settled 
upon  one  noteworthy  object  up  there.  It  was  a  barrow. 
This  bossy  projection  of  earth  above  its  natural  level  occu- 
pied the  loftiest  ground  of  the  loneliest  height  that  the  heath 
contained.  Although  from  the  vale  it  appeared  but  as  a  wart 
on  an  Atlantean  brow,  its  actual  bulk  was  great.  It  formed 
the  pole  and  axis  of  the  heathery  world. 

As  the  resting  man  looked  at  the  barrow,  he  became 
aware  that  its  summit,  hitherto  the  highest  object  in  the 
whole  prospect  round,  was  surmounted  by  something  higher. 
What  the  barrow  was  to  the  hill  supporting  it,  the  object 
was  to  the  barrow.  It  rose  from  the  semiglobular  mound 
like  a  spike  from  a  helmet.  The  first  instinct  of  an  im- 
aginative stranger  might  have  been  to  suppose  it  the  person 


Setting  177 

of  one  of  the  Celts  who  built  the  barrow,  so  far  had  all  of 
modern  date  withdrawn  from  the  scene.  It  seemed  a  sort 
of  last  man  among  them,  musing  for  a  moment  before  drop- 
ping into  eternal  night  with  the  rest  of  his  race. 

There  the  form  stood,  motionless  as  the  hill  beneath. 
Above  the  plain  rose  the  hill ;  above  the  hill  rose  the  bar- 
row ;  above  the  barrow  rose  the  figure ;  above  the  figure 
was  nothing  that  could  be  mapped  elsewhere  than  on  a 
celestial  globe. 

The  Return  of  the  Native,  Thomas  Hardy. 

In  the  preceding,  the  description  also  proceeds  from  large 
to  small  with  the  most  characteristic  detail  for  the  last. 

Your  plan  will,  of  course,  vary  according  to  the  object 
you  are  describing.  The  important  point  to  keep  in  mind 
is  that  you  must  choose  some  plan  which  is  adapted  to  your 
object.  You  have  been  told  that  you  must  be  careful  not 
to  shift  the  point  of  view ;  but  suppose  you  were  going  to 
describe  some  large  object  which  could  not  all  be  seen  from 
one  point  of  view.  In  this  case  you  would  choose  a  point 
of  view,  and  describe  what  you  could  see  from  that  point ; 
then  you  would  shift  your  point  of  view,  taking  care  to 
tell  your  reader  that  you  have  done  so ;  or  you  might  take 
your  reader  with  you  for  a  walk,  and  describe  what  you  saw 
on  the  way.  Here,  again,  you  should  always  be  careful  to 
make  plain  the  point  of  view. 

In  describing  places  or  objects,  as  well  as  in  describing 
people,  you  must  keep  in  mind  the  main  impression  you  wish 
to  produce. 

The  following  description  of  a  house  conveys  the  main 
impression  of  cleanliness.  Note  how  Dickens  builds  up  this 
one  impression. 

At  length  we  stopped  before  a  very  old  house  bulg- 
ing out  over  the  road.  It  was  quite  spotless  in  its  cleanli- 
ness.    The  old-fashioned  brass  knocker  on  the  low-arched 


178  .  /  First  Year  English  B 

dour,  ornamented  with  carved  garlands  of  fruits  and  flow- 
ers, twinkled  like  a  star;  the  two  stone  steps  descending 
to  the  door  were  as  white  as  if  they  had  been  covered  with 
fair  linen;  and  all  the  angles  and  corners,  and  carvings  and 
mouldings,  and  quaint  little  pam-  of  glass,  and  quainter 
little  windows,  though  as  "M  a-  the  hills,  were  a-  pure  as 
any  --now  that  ever  fell  upon  the  hill-. 

1    Coppi  ,/it  1,1,    (  lHARl  1  -    Dl(  KENS. 

<  u'ten  the  des<  ription  of  the  scene  of  a  story  helps  ver) 
much  in  making  the  events  seem  real.  The  setting  Miit->  the 
event  so  perfectly  that  the  one  suggests  the  other.  "I  ertain 
dank  garden-  cry  aloud  for  a  murder;  certain  old  hi 
demand  to  be  haunted."  Indeed,  ii"  only  a  house  look  suf 
ficiently  Military  and  ruined  and  desolate,  the  popular  imagi- 
nation will  supply  a  harmonious  story,  and  will  soon  set  in 
circulation  tales  of  ghosts  and  spooks.  'The  ghost  story  i- 
an  excellent  example  of  how  setting  heightens  the  effect  of 
reality. 

References  h>r  Suggestive  Reading 

The  Maelstrom,  Poe. 
The  House  of  Usher,  1 ' 
The  Mmy  Men,  Stevenson. 
Will  0'  the  Mill,  Stevenson. 

Exercises 

1.  Read  The  Legend  of  Sleepy  Hollow  and  point  out  all 
the  description  which  help-  the  uncanm  effect. 

Read  the  stor)  aloud,  leaving  .nit  tl  riptions,  and 

see  what  you  have  left. 

_\  Point  <>nt  effective  setting  in  Rip  Van  Winkle,  The 
Specter  Bridegroom. 

J.  Write  a  good  beginning  for  a  ghost  story,  describing 
the  time  and  the  place. 


Setting  ijij 

References  for  Suggestive  Reading: 

A  Ghost  in  The  Odd  Number,  Maupassant. 
The  Cantcrville  Ghost,  Wilde. 
They,  Kipling. 

4.  What  kind  of  stories  should  be  put  in  the  following 
settings?  Add  as  many  suitable  details  as  you  can  to  the 
setting. 

1.  Early  morning  in  May.  A  freshly-painted  white 
house  stands  in  a  trimly  kept  lawn  under  oak  trees.  To 
the  right  is  an  apple-orchard  pink  with  blossoms. 

2.  Late  afternoon  in  August.  The  dust  lies  thick  along 
a  country  road,  full  of  ruts  and  unshaded  by  trees.  A  cart 
apparently  empty,  drawn  by  two  gray  horses,  is  passing 
along  the  road. 

3.  Noon  in  June.  The  blazing  sun  is  pouring  down  over 
a  hay-field  in  which  several  men  and  boys  are  at  work.  In 
the  next  meadow  two  women  are  walking  with  pails  in  their 
hands. 

4.  Morning  in  August  in  a  Southern  tobacco-field.  Many 
negroes  are  at  work.  xAlong  a  road  leading  from  a  house 
in  the  background,  a  rider  is  seen  galloping,  leaping  the 
fences  as  he  comes. 

5.  Midnight  on  a  sailing  vessel  going  from  the  Banks  to 
Massachusetts.  The  waves  are  beating  high ;  there  is  no 
moon,  and  no  light  of  any  sort  except  a  faint  cluster  of 
white  and  green  to  the  starboard. 

6.  A  crowded  dry-goods  store.  Clerks  are  waiting  on 
women  customers,  all  apparently  in  a  hurry.  One  young 
man  in  a  riding  suit  lounges,  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  near 
the  ribbon  counter. 

5.  W'rite  stories  for  some  of  the  following  settings ;  de- 
scribe the  setting  of  each  incident  fully  and  vividly. 


180  A  First  Year  English  Book 

1.  A  cold  winter  night  in  the  country.  There  is  a  road 
faintly  marked  between  two  lines  of  fences,  weighted  with 
snow.  A  man  is  plodding  forward,  head  bent,  shoulders 
up.    There  is  no  other  person  and  no  house  in  sight. 

2.  A  derelict  is  swinging  on  the  ocean  in  a  fog.  Not 
far  off  an  ocean  steamer  is  feeling  her  way  carefully,  con- 
stantly sounding  her  fog-horn. 

3.  A  well-filled  library  in  which  >il>  an  old  man  fallen 
asleep  over  his  reading.  Slowly  opening  the  window  is  a 
man  with  a  dark  lantern. 

4.  A  house  on  fire,  the  crowd  being  pushed  back  by 
policemen;  firemen  handling  hose  and  climbing  ladders.  A 
young  man  standing  at  a  three-story  window  of  the  burning 
building. 

5.  A  sheet  of  ice;  boys  and  girls  skating;  a  small  dog 
trying  to  follow  one  of  the  skaters ;  an  old  gentleman  being 
taught  to  skate  by  his  grandson. 

6.  A  crowded  city  street ;  fire  engine  coming  rapidly  ;  a 
woman  standing  irresolutely  in  the  middle  of  the  street. 

7.  A  country  grocery  store.  An  old  man  i>  whittling  a 
piece  of  wood  on  the  step.  Two  old  men  sit  beside  the 
stove.  A  lanky  young  clerk  is  selling  a  stick  of  candy  to  a 
little  girl. 

8.  An  old  woman  is  washing  clothes  in  a  back  yard 
under  an  apple  tree ;  a  clothes  line  is  stretched  across  the 
yard  between  two  trees,  with  a  few  clothes  hanging  from  it. 
A  tramp  is  entering  the  back  gate. 

9.  A  soldier  is  limping  painfully  along  a  little  village 
street  towards  a  house  at  the  far  end,  the  blinds  of  which 
are  down.  Women  and  children  stand  at  the  doors  and 
windows  looking  at  him.    He  does  not  turn  his  head. 

10.  A  girl  in  evening  dress  is  coming  down  a  long 
staircase,  carefully  drawing  on  a  pair  of  white  gloves.  An 
old  lady  stands  at  the  bottom  waiting  for  her. 


Preparation  181 

SECTION  IX.     PREPARATION 

Much  of  the  interest  in  a  story  depends  on  suggesting, 
not  merely  saying,  that  certain  things  have  happened  or 
will  happen.  If  Mr.  Fox  had  simply  told  us  that  Chad 
was  left  in  the  deserted  cahin  and  that  old  Nathan  was 
coming  next  morning  to  get  the  furniture,  it  would  not 
have  been  so  effective  as  it  is  when  he  describes  the  room: 

The  homespun  bedclothes  and  hand-made  quilts  of 
brilliant  colors  had  been  thrown  in  a  heap  on  one  of  the 
two  beds  of  hickory  withes ;  the  kitchen  utensils — a  crane 
and  a  few  pots  and  pans — had  been  piled  on  the  hearth 
along  with  strings  of  herbs  and  beans  and  red  pepper- 
pods — all  ready  for  old  Nathan  when  he  should  come  over 
for  them,  next  morning,  with  his  wagon. 

The  following  scene  from  Treasure  Island  tells  a  clear 
story  as  to  what  has  happened : 

It  occurred  to  me  there  was  no  time  to  lose ;  and,  dodging 
the  boom  as  it  once  more  lurched  across  the  deck,  I  slipped 
aft,  and  down  the  companion  stairs  into  the  cabin. 

It  was  such  a  scene  of  confusion  as  you  can  hardly  fancy. 
All  the  lockfast  places  had  been  broken  open  in  quest  of 
the  chart.  The  floor  was  thick  with  mud,  where  ruffians 
had  sat  down  to  drink  or  consult  after  wading  in  the 
marshes  round  their  camp.  The  bulkheads,  all  painted 
in  clear  white,  and  beaded  round  with  gilt,  bore  a  pattern 
of  dirty  hands.  Dozens  of  empty  bottles  clinked  together 
in  corners  to  the  rolling  of  the  ship.  One  of  the  doctor's 
medical  books  lay  open  on  the  table,  half  of  the  leaves 
gutted  out,  I  suppose,  for  pipe-lights.  In  the  midst  of  all 
this  litter  the  lamp  still  cast  a  smoky  glow,  obscure  and 
brown  as  umber. 

Exercises 

/.  In  Irving's  Rip  J 'an  Winkle  point  out  all  the  descrip- 
tions which  show  that  a  long  time  has  passed  since  he  left 
his  home. 


1 82  A  First  Year  English  Book 

2.     Describe  a  room  so  as  to  show    thai  burglars  hav< 

just  left  it. 

j.     Describe  ;i  house  made  ready  for  an  auction  sale. 

4.  Write  a  description   to   show   that   a  thunder-shower 
is  about  to  fall.     This  might  take  the  shape  of  a  convi 
tion  between  two  little  girls  anxious  t<>  reach  home  in  time 
to  avoid  a  wetting;  or  two  boys,  fishing,  who  are  looking 
for  shelter. 

5.  Describe  a  farm  scene  so  .i-  to  show  that  the  thresh- 
ing is  just  over. 

6.  Descrihe  a  scene  which  shows  that  four  hoys  are 
just  ready  to  start  on  a  camping  expedition. 

I  Ine  caution  is  necessary:  in  trying  to  make  a  story  seem 
ical,  do  not  make  the  mistake  of  describing  what  is  unim- 
portant. Only  the  main  scenes  and  the  important  char- 
acters deserve  full  description.  The  following  theme  writ- 
ten by  a  student  shows  how  misleading  is  such  a  mistake. 
Never  descrihe  merely  for  the  sake  of  describing. 

John  and  Theodore  are  two  friends,  laborers,  who  have 
occupied  a  room  with  an  old  miser.  John  is  devoted  to 
Theodore,  who  is  a  weak  and  shallow  character.  Becoming 
involved  in  debt,  Theodore  at  length  steals  some  gold  from 
the  miser.  When  the  theft  is  discovered  John  assumes  the 
guilt  and  is  taken  to  jail.  Meantime  Theodore  returns  and 
finds  his  friend  gone.    The  student  continues  the  >tor\  thus: 

1  tastily  picking  up  his  bundle  he  rushed  blindly  down  the 
stairs  and  hurried  down  the  streets,  never  stopping  until  the 
sun  had  driven  the  stars  from  sight.  Me  then  stopped  and 
looked  upon  the  cool  brook  running  through  the  high  nod 
•  ling  grass  on  either  side,  with  the  sloping  purple  meadow- 
stretching  to  the  forest  and  the  blue  sea  beyond.  I  le 
quickly  turned  his  steps  to  the  forest.  Theodore  was  filled 
with  wonder  at  the  beautiful  scene,  and  wandering  about 
he  came  upon  a  clear  space.  Here  he  was  charmed  by  a 
song.     When   it   was  ended  he  walked  toward   the  singer. 


Conversation  183 

She  was  a  slender  girl,  about  fifteen  years  old,  with  large 
gray  eyes  beneath  an  arch  of  black  eyebrows.  Her  large 
white  forehead  extended  back  to  a  mass  of  glossy  black 
ringlets.  She  smiled,  showing  faultless  white  teeth.  Theo- 
dore, going  up  to  her,  asked  for  food  and  drink.  She 
brought  him  to  her  father's  home  and  set  before  him  a  good 
supply  of  food  and  drink.  After  having  his  fill,  he  started 
to  roam  about  the  forest  until  he  came  to  a  spot  he  liked, 
and  there  he  built  himself  a  hut,  in  which  he  lived  many 
years. 

Meanwhile  John  had  been  taken  to  prison,  where  after  a 
hard  trial  he  was  found  guilty.  After  serving  many  years 
of  hardships  he  was  again  set  free  and  returned  to  Paris. 
I  Ie  began  to  work  in  an  humble  position ;  soon  he  had 
reached  a  high  and  worthy  position,  yet  he  never  seemed 
satisfied. 

One  day  as  he  was  standing  beside  his  door  his  attention 
was  attracted  by  a  strong  man  with  brown  face  and  hands. 
Something  about  his  walk  and  the  expression  of  his  face 
seemed  familiar.  Then  it  came  to  him,  as  swift  as  an 
arrow,  that  this  was  his  long  lost  friend,  Theodore.     .     .     . 

In  this  theme  the  girl  is  described  so  fully  that  we  think 
she  is  an  important  actor  in  the  conclusion  of  the  story  ; 
as  a  matter  of  fact  we  never  see  her  again.  The  forest,  too, 
receives  more  attention  than  it  deserves.  The  student  has 
been  carried  away  by  the  mere  pleasure  of  describing. 

y.  Turn  to  the  picture  opposite  page  120:  write  out  the 
incidents  for  which  this  picture  is  the  preparation. 

SECTION  X.     CONVERSATION 

One  can  readily  test  what  is  important  in  a  story  by  turn- 
ing it  into  drama.  This  process  forces  one  to  determine 
which  scenes  really  count. 

1.  Take  a  story  from  The  Arabian  Nights, — that  of 
the  three  Princes,  Ali,  Houssain,  and  Ahmed,  will  answer, — 
and  write  it  out  in  dramatic  form.  Try  to  make  as  few 
changes  of  scene  as  possible. 


184  .1  First  Year  English  Book 

2.  Select  some  scene  in  the  life  of  one  of  the  following 
characters  and  write  it  out  in  dramatic  form: 

Alexander  the  Great ;  Chevalier  Bayard  ;  John  Paul  Jones; 
Fridtjof  Nansen;  Aaron  l'.nrr ;  Warren  Hastings;  Thomas 
a  Becket;  Napoleon;  Robinson  Crusoe;  Enoch  Arden ; 
King  Robert  of  Sicily;  King  Richard  and  Blondel ;  Cer- 
v  antes. 

3.  Choose  some  scene  from  a  favorite  story  and  write  it 
out  in  dramatic  form.    The  following  list  may  be  suggestive: 

The  Prince  and  the  Pauper,  Mark  Twain  ;  King  Cophetua 
and  the  Beggar-Maid;  The  Man  Who  Would  Be  King, 
Kipling;  Rip  Van  Winkle,  Irving;  The  Bottle  Imp,  Steven- 
son. 

In  the  management  of  your  story,  you  can  present  a  good 
deal  of  the  action  through  the  talk  of  your  people,  if  you 
wish  to  choose  this  rather  difficult  method  of  carrying  on 
the  story.  In  connection  with  your  plot,  you  must  remember 
that  dialogue  has  two  purposes:  to  reveal  character,  and  to 
tell  what  happens.  Xever  put  any  remarks  in  the  mouth  of 
a  character  which  do  not  belong  to  him  and  to  nobody  else. 
Try  to  make  the  remarks  so  surely  a  part  of  the  character, 
that  if  you  were  to  read  your  story  aloud  without  any  ''said 
he's"  and  "said  she's"  your  listener  could  tell  who  was 
speaking. 

Exercises 

/.  Go  back  to  the  .--election  on  page  62,  and  note  how 
the  dialogue  between  Alan  and  David  reveals  character  and 
advances  the  action. 

2.  Make  dialogues  on  the  following  subjects.  Be  sure 
that  before  you  begin  you  have  in  mind  the  character- 
istics of  each  of  your  persons.  Do  not  say  "said  he"  too 
frequently ;  vary  with  "he  replied,"  "he  remarked,"  "he 
observed,"  "he  retorted,"  "he  objected."  "he  answered,"  "he 


Story  Writing  185 

inquired."     Insert  necessary  description  and  comment.     Do 
not  forget  to  develop  a  story. 

1.  Write  a  dialogue  between  two  brothers  who  are  about 
to  start  for  a  county  fair.  Show  that  one  brother  is  quick- 
witted and  hot-tempered ;  the  other  slow,  though  not  stupid, 
and  good-natured. 

2.  Write  a  dialogue  between  an  aunt  and  her  niece  about 
a  summer  vacation,  showing  that  the  former  has  traveled 
much.  She  is  gentle  and  considerate ;  the  niece  thoughtless 
but  affectionate. 

3.  Write  a  dialogue  between  two  girls  in  a  school-room. 
One  is  clever,  and  kind,  and  has  a  sense  of  humor ;  the  other 
a  newcomer,  who  has  always  gone  to  a  private  school,  is  a 
little  supercilious  and  impatient. 

4.  Write  a  dialogue  between  two  men,  one  a  great  cow- 
ard and  boaster ;  the  other  reticent  and  self-sacrificing.  Let 
them  talk  of  hunting  or  of  fishing. 

5.  Let  two  workmen  who  are  laying  a  street-paving  talk 
about  their  employer.  One  is  happy-go-lucky  and  lazy,  and 
yet  always  seems  to  succeed ;  the  other  is  painstaking,  but 
not  very  good-tempered,  and  has  sometimes  been  unjustly 
treated. 

6.  Write  a  dialogue  about  two  newcomers  to  a  country 
town  who  are  talking  to  an  agent  who  has  a  house  to  rent. 
The  agent  is  trying  to  find  out  what  their  business  is,  and 
they  are  skillfully  avoiding  an  answer.  One  is  polite  and 
smiling ;  the  other  stern  and  rather  scornful. 

7.  Write  a  conversation  held  by  a  tramp  who  has  seen 
better  days,  a  thin,  sad  man  who  does  not  like  to  beg ;  and 
two  boys,  one  of  whom  is  kind-hearted  and  a  good  reader 
of  character ;  the  other  kind-hearted,  but  cowardly  and  sus- 
picious. 

8.  Write  a  dialogue  between  two  women,  one  of  whom 
is  hard-worked,  but  merry ;  the  other  is  complaining  and  ill- 


i86  ./  First  Year  English  Hook 

natured.     It  i-  washing  day  and  the  clothes-lines  of  one  o! 
them  with  it-  burden  has  fallen  to  the  ground. 

SECTK  IN  XI.    ST(  tRY  WRITING 

/.  Take  the  situation  of  a  1><>\  or  girl  who  is  thrown 
upon  his  own  resources,  and  tell  what  he  does.  The 
Little  Shepherd  of  Kingdom  Come  places  tin >  situation 
upon  a  lonely  mountain.  The  story  mighl  begin  in  the 
midst  of  a  great  city,  or  on  a  western  plain,  or  in  San 
Francisco  just  after  the  earthquake. 

_'.  Write  the  stor)  "i  a  t>  \  who  wishes  to  in-  a  soldier. 
Begin  so  as  to  show  how  the  surroundings  of  his  early  life 
have  led  him  to  this  ideal. 

R.E1  ERE  \t  l  S  FOR  SUGGES  I  i\  I     R.E  U5ING 

Jackanapes,  Mrs.  Ewing. 

. /;;  Incident  of  the  French  Lump,   Browning. 

The  Story  of  a  Short  Life,  Mrs.  Ewing. 

Wee  Willie  Winkie,  Kipling. 

5.  The  same  situation  can  be  used  beginning  with  a  boy 
whose  surroundings  make  him  wish  to  he-  a  sailor;  a 
painter;  a  civil  engineer;  a  singer;  an  actor;  a  railway 
engineer. 

/.  A  negro  hoy,  horn  a  slave,  wishes  lie  might  he  free. 
When  the  war  breaks  out  he  runs  away  from  his  Virginia 
master,  goes  to  Washington  and  enters  a  negro  regiment. 

<  >n  the  battlefield  he  finds  his  old  master,  wounded     .     .     . 

5.  Two  related  families  have  been  separated  by  a  Ww<\. 
The  little  grand-daughter  of  one  family  has  never  seen  her 
grandfather  of  the  other  family.     lie  i>  very  fond  of  fishing. 

<  >ne  day  she  wander-  down  to  a  stream  where  he  has  cast 
his  lines.     What  happens? 

6.  Take  some  character  from  a  book  which  you  like,  and 
write  your  own  storv  about  him. 


Story  Writ  in  g  187 

7.  Tell  the  story  of  an  Indian  spy  acting  for  the  French 
in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  and  a  frontiersman  acting 
as  a  spy  for  the  English.  The  one  pursues  and  captures 
the  other ;   on   the  journey  to  camp  they  become   friends. 

8.  Continue  the  story  of  Treasure  Island.  Remember 
that  the  silver  bars  were  still  on  the  Island ;  that  John 
Silver  had  left  the  ship  for  parts  unknown ;  that  three  men 
had  been  left  on  the  Island  when  the  Hispaniola  sailed  for 
England. 

p.     Finish  the  following  stories. 

So  much  is  given  you  that  with  a  little  of  your  imagina- 
tion you  can  see  how  each  story  ought  to  come  out.  Try  to 
see  the  rest  of  the  story  vividly,  have  all  your  incidents  and 
details  lead  up  to  the  main  incident,  and  introduce  realistic 
details  wherever  you  can. 

1.  Casperl  was  a  woodchopper,  and  the  son  of  a  wood- 
chopper,  and  although  he  was  only  eighteen  when  his  father 
died,  he  was  so  strong  and  active  that  he  went  on  chopping 
wood  for  the  whole  neighborhood,  and  people  said  he  did  it 
quite  as  well  as  his  father,  while  he  was  certainly  a  great 
deal  more  pleasant  in  his  manners,  and  much  more  willing 
to  oblige  others. 

It  was  a  poor  country,  however,  for  it  was  right  in  the 
heart  of  the  Black  Forest,  and  there  were  more  witches 
and  fairies  and  goblins  there  than  healthy  human  beings. 
So  Casperl  scarcely  made  a  living,  for  all  he  worked  hard 
and  rose  early  in  the  morning,  summer  and  winter.  His 
friends  often  advised  him  to  go  to  some  better  place,  where 
he  could  earn  more  money ;  but  he  only  shook  his  head  and 
said  that  the  place  was  good  enough  for  him. 

He  never  told  anyone,  though,  why  he  loved  his  poor  hut 
in  the  depths  of  the  dark  forest,  because  it  was  a  secret 
which  he  did  not  wish  to  share  with  strangers.  For  he  had 
discovered,  a  mile  or  two  from  his  home,  in  the  very  black- 
est part  of  the  woods,  an  enchanted  mountain.  It  was  a 
high  mountain,  covered  with  trees  and  rocks  and  thick, 
tangled  undergrowth,  except  at  the  very  top,  where  there 


i88  A  First  Year  English  Book 

stood  a  castle  surrounded  by  smooth,  green  lawn-  and  1 
tiful  gardens,  which  wore  always  kept  in  the  neatest  pi 
ble  order,  although  no  gardener  was  ever  seen. 

This  enchanted  mountain  had  been  under  a  spell  for 
nearly  two  hundred  years.  The  lovely  Princess  who  lived 
there  had  once  ruled  the  whole  country.  But  a  powerful 
and  wicked  magician  disguised  himself  as  a  Prince,  and 
made  love  to  lur.  At  first  the  Princess  loved  her  false 
suitor,  but  one  day  she  found  out  thai  he  was  not  what  he 

pretended  to  he.  and  she  told  him  to  leave  her  and  never 
to  come  near  her  again. 

"For  you  are  not  a  Prince,"  she  said.  "You  are  an  im- 
■.  and.  [  will  never  wed  any  hut  a  true  Prill 

"Very    wall."    -aid    the   magician    in   a  'you    -hall 

-•ait  for  your  true  Prince,  if  there  is  such  a  thing  as  a  true 
Prince,  and  you  shall  marry  no  one  till  he  com< 

And  then  the  magician  cast  a  spell  upon  the  beautiful 

castle  upon  the  top  of  the  mountain,  and  the  terril 
sprang  up  about  it  so  that  no  mortal  man  could 

My  go  to  the  summit,  except  by  one  path,  which  was 
purposely  left  clear.  And  in  the  path  there  was  a  gate  that 
the  strongest  man  could  not  open,  it  was  so  heavy.  Farther 

up  the  mountain  slope  the  trunk  of  a   tree  lay   right  ac 
the   way — a   magic  tree,   that   no  one  could   climb  over  or 
crawl  under,  or  cut  through.    And  beyond  the  gate  and  the 
tree  was  a  dragon  with  green  eyes  which  frightened  away 
every  man  that  looked  at  it. 

Now  .  .  .  year  after  year  young  princes  came  from 
all  part-  of  the  earth  to  try  to  re-cue  the  lovely  captive  and 
win  her  for  a  bride.  But,  one  after  the  other,  they  all  tried 
and  failed — the  best  of  them  could  not  so  much  a-  open  the 
gate. 

And  so  there  the  Princess  remained  a-  the  years  went 
on.  She  did  not  grow  any  older  <>r  any  less  beautiful,  for 
-he  was  still  waiting  for  the  True  Prince,  and  A\q  believed 
that  he  would  come. 

This  was  what  kept  Casperl  from  leaving  the  I  Hack  1 
e-t.     lie  was  sorry  for  the  Princess,  and  he  hoped  snme  day 
to  see  her  re-cued,  and  wedded  to  the  True  Prince. 

But  every  Prince  had  to  make  a  trial  by  himself. 
That  was  one  of  the  condition-  which  the  magician  made 


Story  Writing  189 

when  he  laid  the  spell  upon  the  castle,  although  Casperl  did 
not  know  it. 

And  each  Prince  would  throw  off  his  cloak  and  shoulder 
a  silver  or  gold-handled  axe,  and  fasten  his  sword  by  his 
side,  and  set  out  to  climb  the  hill,  and  open  the  gate,  and 
cut  through  the  fallen  tree,  and  slay  the  dragon,  and  wed 
the  Princess. 

But  everyone  of  them  came  back,  after  a  while,  with  his 
fine  clothes  torn  and  his  soft  skin  scratched,  all  tired  and 
disheartened  and  worn  out.  And  then  he  would  look  spite- 
fully up  at  the  mountain  and  say  he  didn't  care  so  much 
about  wedding  the  Princess,  after  all ;  that  she  was  onlv 
a  common  enchanted  Princess,  just  like  any  other  enchanted 
Princess,  and  really  not  worth  so  much  trouble. 

This  would  grieve  Casperl,  for  he  couldn't  help  think- 
ing that  it  was  impossible  that  any  other  woman  could  be 
as  lovely  as  his  Princess.  You  see,  he  called  her  his  Princess 
because  he  took  such  an  interest  in  her,  and  he  didn't  think- 
there  could  be  any  harm  in  speaking  of  her  in  that  way,  just 
to  himself.  For  he  never  supposed  she  could  even  know 
that  there  was  such  an  humble  creature  as  poor  young  Cas- 
perl, the  woodchopper,  who  sat  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  and 
looked  up  at  her. 

By  and  by,  one  summer  evening,  as  Casperl  sat  watch- 
ing, there  came  a  little  Prince  with  a  small  train  of  at- 
tendants. He  was  rather  undersized  for  a  Prince;  he  didn't 
look  strong,  and  he  did  look  as  if  he  slept  too  much  in  the 
morning  and  too  little  at  night.  He  slipped  off  his  coat, 
however,  and  climbed  up  the  road  and  began  to  push  and 
pull  at  the  gate. 

Casperl  watched  him  carelessly  for  a  while,  and  then, 
happening  to  look  up,  he  saw  that  the  Princess  was  gazing 
sadly  down  upon  the  poor  little  Prince  as  he  tugged  and 
toiled. 

Then  a  bold  idea  came  to  Casperl.  Why  shouldn't  he 
help  the  Prince.  He  was  young  and  strong;  he  had  often 
thought  that  if  he  were  a  Prince  a  gate  like  that  should  not 
keep  him  away  from  the  Princess.  Why,  indeed,  should  he 
not  give  his  strength  to  help  to  free  the  Princess  ?  And  he 
felt  a  great  pity  for  the  poor  little  Prince,  too, 


190  A  First  Year  English  Book 

So  he  walked  modestly  up  the  hill  and  offered  his  serv- 
ices to  the  Prince. 

"Your  Royal  Highness,"  he  said,  "1  am  onl)  a  wood- 
chopper;  but,  if  \<>u  please,  I  am  a  strong  woodchopper, 
and  perhaps  I  can  be  of  use  to  you." 

"But  why  should  you  take  the  trouble  to  help  me?"  in- 
quired the  Prince.    "What  good  will  it  do  you?" 

"Oh,  well!"  said  Casperl,  "it  i-  helping  the  Princess,  too, 
don't  you  know ':" 

"No,  I  don't  know,"  said  tin-  Prince.  "However,  you 
may  try  what  you  can  do.  Here,  put  your  shoulder  to  this 
end  of  the  gate  and  I'll  stand  right  behind  you." 

Now,  Casperl  did  not  know  that  it  was  forbidden  to  any 
suitor  to  have  help  in  his  attempt  to  climb  the  hill.  The 
Prince  knew  it,  though,  but  he  said  to  himself,  "When  I  am 
through  with  this  woodchopper  I  will  dismiss  him,  and  no 
one  will  know  anything  about  it.  1  can  never  lii't  this  gate 
by  myself.  I  will  let  him  do  it  for  me.  and  thus  I  shall  gel 
the  Princess,  and  he  will  be  just  as  well  satisfied,  for  be  is 
only  a  woodchopper.'" 

So  Casperl  put  hi-  -boulder  to  the  gate  and  pushed  with 
all  his  might.  It  was  very  heavy,  but  after  a  while  it  began 
to  move  a  little.       .       . 

2.  In  finishing  the  following  store,  punish  the  wicked 
queen  and  treat  Lanval  as  seems  to  you  right.  Use  descrip- 
tion and  conversation  so  a-  to  make  the  scene-  vivid. 

In  the  days  when  King  Arthur  held  court  at  Carleon, 
Lanval  was  for  many  years  his  steward.  Then  he  left  the 
court  of  Arthur,  and,  being  to.,  generous,  soon  fell  into  pov- 
erty. One  day  Lanval  rode  out  into  the  forest  in  poor  array, 
and,  dismounting,  he  sat  under  a  tree,  very  sorrowful.  Soon 
there  approached  two  maidens,  passing  fair,  who  said  that 
their  lady,  Dame  Triamore.  wished  to  speak  to  him.  I  loing 
with  the  maidens,  he  found  a  rich  pavilion  and  a  lady  of 
marvelous  beauty  who  was  daughter  of  the  King  of  Fairy. 
She  promised  him  that  if  he  would  forsake  every  other  lady 
for  her  she  would  make  him  rich  and  would  keep  him  from 
harm  in  tournament  and  in  battle.  But  it  must  all  be  kept 
secret  and  he  must  on  no  account  boast  of  her  love. 


Story  Writing       .  191 

Lanval  was  well  pleased.  He  won  much  renown  by  his 
largess  and  his  rich  attire  and  by  his  prowess  in  tourney 
and  in  battle.  And  many  ladies  looked  on  him  kindly,  but 
none  seemed  to  him  fair  in  comparison  with  Triamore.  At 
length  there  was  a  wicked  Queen,  who  showered  him  with 
favors  until  Lanval  said  to  her  that  for  seven  years  he  had 
loved  a  lady  more  fair  than  any  she  had  ever  set  eyes  on. 
And  in  revenge,  because  he  had  slighted  her,  the  wicked 
Queen  accused  him  falsely  to  the  King,  who  swore  that 
Lanval  should  be  slain  unless,  within  a  twelvemonth,  he 
could  substantiate  his  boast. 

Then  was  Lanval  in  sore  distress,  for  he  had  broken  his 
word  to  Triamore,  who  appeared  to  him  no  more,  and  whose 
rich  gifts  had  disappeared.  He  lay  wretchedly  in  prison, 
lamenting  his  folly  in  vain.  Sir  Perceval  and  Sir  Gawain 
became  his  bondsmen,  but  nothing  could  he  do  to  help  him- 
self. And  so  the  twelvemonth  passed  by,  and  again  he 
was  bound  and  brought  before  King  Arthur  and  his 
knights.     .     .     . 

10.  Make  stories  from  the  following  outlines,  selecting 
with  particular  care  the  main  incident. 

1.  One  Friday  afternoon  two  boys  slip  into  the  church 
behind  the  deaf  sexton,  *and  go  up  to  play  in  the  loft.  He 
goes  out  and  locks  the  door.    What  happens  ? 

2.  A  tramp,  penniless  but  in  love  with  his  roaming  life, 
picks  up  a  newspaper  and  reads  that  his  eccentric  uncle, 
living  five  hundred  miles  away,  has  died  and  left  him  a  mil- 
lion dollars.     What  does  he  do? 

3.  A  girl  of  fifteen  loses  her  uncle  who  was  her  sole 
relative.  It  is  found  that  he  has  left  no  money.  What  does 
she  do? 

4.  Three  boys  out  camping  are  set  upon  by  robbers,  tied, 
and  robbed  of  all  they  have,  one  thief,  however,  protesting 
against  taking  anything  from  them.     What  happens? 

5.  A  brother  and  sister  find  in  a  hollow  tree  a  round  box 
on  which  is  a  piece  of  paper,  covered  with  strange  marks. 


192  A  .first  Year  English  Book 

At  the  top  is  written,  "Who  can  read  me  truly  wins  a  for- 
tune."    What  happens? 

6.  Two  girls  are  given  a  ten-acre  field  with  the  proviso 
that  if  they  do  not  make  it  pay,  it  is  to  go  to  their  brother. 
What  do  they  do? 

7.  Two  boys  are  out  in  a  sailboat.  They  quarrel ;  a 
storm  arises.    What  follov 

8.  A  girl  who  has  offended  her  guardian  wants  to  go  to 
college.  lie  refuses  to  allow  her  the  money.  What  does 
she  do? 

SECTK  »N  XII.    FHiCRES  OF  SPEECH 

<  iften  in  trying  to  describe  persons  or  objects  you  will 
find  yourself  telling  what  they  are  like,  what  they  remind 
you  of,  comparing  and  perhaps  contrasting  them  with  other 
1  ibjects  ■  'i'  pers<  ins. 

<■  I,  my  love  is  like  a  red.  red  rose, 

That's  newly  sprung  in  June. 
1  '.  my  love  i>  like  the  melodie 

That's  sweetly  played  in  tune. 

Comparison,  then,  is  one  of  the  most  suggestive  tools  of 
description;  so  valuable,  indeed,  that  we  shall  find  it  worth 
while  to  consider,  at  this  point,  the  kinds  of  figures  at  our 
disposal.  Figurative  language  is  language  used  in  a  sense 
not  strictly  literal.     When  Macbeth  says: 

Life's  but  a  walking  shadow,  a  poor  player 
That  struts  and  frets  his  hour  upon  the  stage 
And  then  is  heard  no  more — 

the  statement  is  not  literally  true.     The  words  are  used  fig- 
uratively. 

The  most  common  figure  is  that  of  comparison.  We  fre- 
quently compare  objects.  When  we  express  the  compari- 
son, we  use  a  figure  called  a  simile. 


Figures  of  Speech  193 

Fair  as  a  star  when  only  one 
Is  shining  in  the  sky. 

When  we  do  not  fully  state  the  comparison,  but  merely 
imply  the  likeness,  we  use  metaphor.  Or,  to  put  it  differ- 
ently :  to  use  a  simile  is  to  compare  one  thing  to  another ; 
to  use  a  metaphor  is  to  call  one  thing  by  the  name  of  an- 
other.    An  example  of  metaphor  is: 

"The  stars  are  the  flowers  of  the  sky." 

In  the  following  sentence,  the  first  figure  is  a  simile,  the 
second  a  metaphor: 

"Look  like  the  innocent  flower,  but  be  the  serpent 
under  it.  " 

Sometimes,  again,  we  speak  of  inanimate  objects  and  of 
the  lower  animals  as  if  they  had  the  same  qualities  as 
human  beings.     This  figure  is  called  a  personification. 

Stars,  hide  your  fires ! 

Let  no  light  see  my  black  and  deep  desires. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  figurative  expressions  are  not  con- 
fined to  nouns,  but  are  just  as  frequently  found  in  other 
parts  of  speech.  Scan  every  word  to  see  if  it  is  expressing 
a  figurative  or  a  literal  idea.  Such  a  figurative  expression 
as  "The  sun's  rim  dips,  the  stars  rush  out,  at  one  stride 
comes  the  dark,"  has  its  metaphor  in  the  verbs  and  in  the 
prepositional  phrase. 

Exercises 

/.  In  the  following  passages,  point  out  all  the  expres- 
sions which  are  not  literal.  Name  personifications,  similes 
and  metaphors.  State  the  points  of  similarity  between  two 
objects  compared: 

1.     It  was  an  ugly  little  venomous  serpent  of  a  noise. 


194  A  First  Year  English  Book 

2.  Rode  under  groves  that  looked  like  paradise 

(  >f  blossom,  over  sheets  of  hyacinth 

That   seemed  the   heavens   upbreaking   through   the 

earth. 

3.  The  train  grew  small  in  the  unending  gulf  of  space, 
until  all  sign  of  its  presence  was  gone  save  a  faint  skein  of 
smoke  against  the  evening 

4.  Youth  untamed  sat  here  an  idle  moment,  spending 
easily  its  hard-earned  wag 

It  came  o'er  my  ear  like  the  sweet  sound 
That  breathes  upon  a  bank  of  violets. 

6.  Thick  as  autumnal  leaves  that  Strew  the  brooks 
In  Vallambr 

7.  These  picnic  pots  and  can-  were  the  tir.^t  of  her 
trophies  that  Civilization  dropped  upon  Wyoming's  virgin 
soil. 

8.  A  drove  of  fishes,  painted  like  the  rainbow  and  billed 
like  parrots,  hovered  up  in  the  shadow  of  the  schooner,  and 
passed  clear  of  it,  and  glinted  in  the  submarine  sun.  They 
were  beautiful  like  birds,  and  their  silent  passage  impressed 
him  like  a  strain  of  song. 

9.  In  the  early  history  of  our  planet,  the  moon  was 
thing  oft  into  space  as  mud  is  thrown  from  a  turning 
wheel. 

10.  Love  took  up  the  glass  of  Time  and  turned  it  in  his 

glowing  hands; 
Every  moment,  lightly  shaken,  ran  itself  in  golden 
.  sands. 

11.  Many  a  night  I  saw  the  Pleiades,  rising  thro'  the 

mellow  shade, 
Glitter  like  a  swarm  of  fire-flies  tangled  in  a  silver 
braid. 
\2.     How   smart  a   lash  thy  speech  doth  give  my  con- 
science ! 


Figures  of  Speech  19: 

13.  My  crown  is  in  my  heart,  not  on  my  head. 

14.  Your  fair  discourse  has  been  as  sugar, 
Making  the  hard  way  sweet  and  delectable. 

15.  To  one  who  hath  been  long  in  city  pent, 

Tis  very  sweet  to  look  into  the  fair 
And  open  face  of  heaven,  to  breath  a  prayer 
Full  in  the  smile  of  the  blue  firmament. 

16.  The  birds  made 

Melody  on  branch  and  melody  in  mid-air ; 
The  damp  hilltops  were  quickened  into  green. 
And  the  live  green  had  kindled  into  flames. 

17.  Xot  only  around  our  infancy 

Doth  heaven  with  all  its  splendors  lie ; 
Daily,  with  souls  that  cringe  and  plot, 
We  Sinais  climb  and  know  it  not. 
Over  our  manhood  bend  the  skies ; 
Against  our  fallen  and  traitor  lives 
The  great  winds  utter  prophecies ; 

With  our  faint  hearts  the  mountain  strives ; 
Its  arms  outstretched,  the  druid  wood 

Waits  with  its  benedicite  ; 
And  to  our  age's  drowsy  blood 
Still  shouts  the  inspiring  sea. 

18.  And  what  is  so  rare  as  a  day  in  June? 

Then,  if  ever,  come  perfect  days  ; 
Then  heaven  tries  the  earth  if  it  be  in  tune. 
And  over  it  softly  her  warm  ear  lays. 

19.  The  little  brook  heard  it,  and  built  a  roof 

'Neath  which  he  could  house  him,  winter-proof; 
All  night  by  the  white  stars'  frosty  gleams 
He  groined  his  arches  and  matched  his  beams ; 
Slender  and  clear  were  his  crystal  spars 
As  the  lashes  of  light  that  trim  the  stars. 


196  A  First  Year  English  Hook 

20.  He  was  a  pleasanl  appearing  man  of  two  or  three 
and  twenty,  of  medium  stature  with  dark  gray  eyes;  but 
his  lace  lacked  any  fixed  idea  or  concentration  of  purpose. 
A  thought  would  wander  like  a  free  bird  over  his  features, 
flutter  in  his  eyes,  light  on  his  parted  lips,  hide  itself  in  the 
wrinkles  of  his  brow;  then  entirely  vanish  away,  and  over 
his  whole  countenance  would  spread  the  shadeless  light  of 
unconcern. 

j".  Go  over  the  preceding  list  and  turn  ten  of  the  figura- 
tive expressions  into  literal  expressions.  Turn  five  of  the 
similes  into  metaphors,  and  five  of  the  metaphors  into 
similes. 

3.     Turn    to   page   43.      Point   out   all   the   similes   and 

metaphor-.      Are   they   used    to  make   the   thought   clearer? 
To  suggest    beautiful   associations? 

/.  Correct  anything  that  i-  incongruous  in  the  follow- 
ing figures: 

1.  The  war-horse  of  the  republic  waves  his  strong  right 
hand  as  a  token  of  victoiy. 

2.  She  flung  aside  the  mask  and  -bowed  the  cloven  foot. 

3.  She  sat  in  a  new  gown  and  unlimited  confidence. 

4.  I  bridle  in  my  struggling  muse  with  pain, 
That  longs  to  launch  into  a  bolder  strain. 

5.  To  take  arm-  against  a  sea  of  troubles. 

6.  Cut  loose  your  stammering  tongue  that  it  may  drive 
your  thoughts  home  like  a  flaming  sword. 

7.  His  remarks  went  to  the  point  like  a  dove  to  her 
nest,  springing  up  in  leaves  and  fruit  in  the  hearts  of  his 
hearers. 

8.  He  champed  and  fretted  like  a  young  wardiorse.  im- 
patient to  make  the  victory  his  own,  and  sow  the  seeds  of 
his  personality  upon  the  whole  army. 


Figures  of  Speech  197 

9.  She  flourished  like  a  young  bay  tree,  making  ready  to 
mark  her  footprints  upon  the  sands  of  time. 

10.  The   keynote  of  his   speech   was   wrapped   up   in   a 
cloud  of  comparison. 

11.  His  threats  leapt  up  like  tongues  of  flame,  hewing 
their  way  at  the  heads  of  the  oppressors. 

5.  Use  comparisons  to  express  the  following  ideas : 

1.  He  was  talkative 

2.  The  wind  blew   

3.  The  boat  was  tossed  on  the  waves 

4.  The  engine  shrieked 

5.  The  approaching  trolley-car  sounded  like 

6.  She  was  beautiful 

7.  He  was  strong 

8.  You  could  rely  on  him 

9.  The  sun  shimmered  through  the  leaves 

10.  The  leaves  were  blown  along 

11.  The  little  garden  was  fresh  and  neat 

12.  The  day  was  dark  and  the  rain  fell 

13.  We  heard  the  sound  of  confused  footsteps  like  ..... 

14.  The  sparrows  were  chirping 


APPENDIX  A 

./  BRIEF   REVIEW  OF  ENGLISH  GRAMMAR 
SECTK  ).\    I.     THE   SENTENCE 

I.  A  sentence  is  ;i  group  oi  words  which  expresses  a 
complete  thought.  It  consists  of  a  subject,  which  names 
thi'  subjed  mi'  the  thought,  and  a  predicate,  which  states 
what  is  thought  of  the  subject. 

Exercise 

Name  the  subject  and  the  predicate  of  each  sentence  in 
i he  following: 


3 

4 
5 
6 

7 
8 

9 

[Q 

]  I 

12 

13 

'4 


kick  built  a  house. 

The  day'  wa>  very  warm. 

.Many  people  called  to-day. 

The  lake  was  unusually  ri<£k\ 

The  tire  burned  brightly,  jy • 

1  sat  on  the  heajth-rUg  and  watched  the  fire., 

Nature  pays  all  debts  promptly.' 

Re  sought  through  the  world  lor  a  perfect  man. 

The  house  is  buihuof  stone. 

The  house  on  thelhilltop  is  buiftftof  gray  limestone. 

Where  i<  the  Land  <>f  Heart's  Desire? 

To  thine  own  -elf  be  true. 

Owe  no  man  anything. 

Where  are  the 'snows  of  yesteryear? 


II.     A  clause  is  a  group  of  words  which  contains  a  subject 

198 


Appendix  A  199 

and  a  predicate,  and  is  used  like  a  noun,  an  adjective,  or  an 
adverb;  as,  "When  he  had  fought  many  battles,  he  became 
weary  of  war." 

A  phrase  is  a  group  of  closely  related  words  which  does 
not  contain  a  subject  and  a  predicate;  as,  "going  home"; 
"on  the  table". 

Exercise 

Among  the  following  groups  of  words,  point  out  the  sen- 
tences, clauses,  and  phrases : 

1.  And  who  art  thou?  said  I  to  the  soft- falling  shower. 

2.  This  is  the  house  that  Jack  built. 

3.  The  day  of  doom. 

4.  Going  homeward. 

5.  The  green  trees  whispered  soft  and  low. 
().  A  little  learning  is  a  dangerous  thing. 

7.  As  life  runs  on,  the  road  grows  strange.  ( 

8.  The  butterflies  ceased. their  flitting  over  the  grass. 
<;.     The  way  was  long;  the  night  was  dark. 

10.  As  the  boy  was  ill,  we  took  him  home. 

11.  The  robins  sang  in  the  orchard;  the  buds  into  blos- 
soms grew. 

12.  While  we  were  waiting  the  tide  began  to  rise. 

III.  Sentences  are  classified  according  to  their  form 
as  simple,  complex,  and  compound.  A  simple  sentence 
contains  one  subject  and  one  predicate,  either  or  both  of 
which  may  be  compound: 

1.  Ole  Bull  played  the  violin. 

2.  Paganini  and  Ole  Bull  played  the  violin.  ^Com- 
pound subject.) 

3.  Mozart  played,  composed,  and  conducted.  {Com- 
pound predicate). 

A  complex  sentence  consists  of  one  principal  proposition 
and  one  or  more  subordinate  propositions  or  clauses;  as, 
"This  is  the  house  that  Tack  built." 


2oo  ./  First  Year  English  Book 

A  compound  sentence  consists  of  two  or  mine  independent 
propositions ;  as,  "The  wa)  was  long  and  the  wind  was  cold." 

Exercise 

Classify  the  following  sentences,  as  simple,  complex,  and 
compound.    Point  out  all  the  clauses. 

Charles  the  King,  <>nr  great  Emperor,  has  been  for  seven 
long  year>    in    Spain;    he    has   conquered   all    the    high    land 

down  to  the  sea;  nol  a  castle  holds  out  against  him.  Not 
a  wall  <>r  city  is  left  unshattered,  save  Saragossa,  which 
stands  high  on  a  mountain.  King  Marsila  holds  it,  who 
loves  not  God.    He  serves  Mahound,  and  worships  Apollon; 

ill  hap  must  in  sooth  befall  him. 

King  Marsila  abides  in   Saragossa.     And  on  a  day   he 

passes  into  tlu-  shade  of  his  orchard;  there  he  sits  on  a  ter- 
race of  bine  marble,  and  around  him  his  men  are  gathered 
to  the  number  of  twenty  thousand.  lie  speaks  to  his  dukes 
and  d mnts.  "I  [ear,  1< >rds,  w hat  evil  i iverwhelms  us;  ( Charles, 
the  Emperor  of  fair  France  has  come  into  this  land  to  con- 
found us.  I  have  no  host  to  do  battle  against  him,  nor  any 
folk  to  discomfort  his.  Council  me.  lords,  as  wise  men  and 
save  me  from  death  and  shame."  But  not  a  man  has  any 
word  in  answer,  save  Blancandrin  of  the  castle  of  Yal- 
Fonde. 

Tli'     8<mg    <>f    Unkind. 

IV.  A  complex-compound  sentence  contains  two  or  more 
independent  propositions,  one  or  more  of  which  is  accom- 
panied by  a  subordinate  clause ;  as,  "There  is  a  book  in 
the  British  Museum,  which  would  have,  for  many  people,  a 
greater  value  than  any  other  single  volume  in  the  world:  it 
is  a  copy  of  Florio's  "Montaigne,'*  and  it  hears  Shake- 
speare's autograph  on  a  fly-leaf." 

Exercise 

Classify  the  sentences  in  the  following  selections,  as 
simple,  complex,  compound,  and  complex-compound. 


HI 


Appendix  A  201 

In  a  mill  there  lived  an  old  miller  who  had  neither  wife 
nor  child,  and  three  boys  served  under  him.  As  they  had 
been  with  him  many  years,  he  one  day  said  to  them, — 

"I  am  old,  and  want  to  sit  in  the  chimney-corner;  go  out, 
and  whichever  of  you  brings  me  the  best  horse  home,  to 
him  I  will  give  the  mill ;  in  return  for  the  gift,  he  shall  take 
care  of  me  till  my  death."'  Xow  the  third  of  the  boys  was 
the  drudge,  who  was  looked  on  as  foolish  by  the  others ; 
they  did  not  mean  he  should  have  the  mill.  They  all  three 
went  out  together,  and  when  they  came  to  the  village,  the 
two  said  to  stupid  Hans, — 

"You  may  just  as  w7ell  stay  here;  as  long  as  you  live  you 
will  never  get  a  horse."  But  Hans  went  with  them,  and 
when  it  was  night,  they  came  to  a  cave  in  which  they  lay 
down  to  sleep.  The  two  sharp  ones  waited  until  Hans  had 
fallen  asleep ;  then  they  got  up,  and  went  away  leaving  him 
where  he  was.  And  they  thought  they  had  done  a  very 
clever  thing,  but  it  was  certain  to  turn  out  ill   for  them. 

Soon  after  the  Scots  and  Picts  had  become  one  people, 
there  was  a  King  of  Scotland  called  Duncan,  a  very  good 
old  man. 

He  had  two  sons;  one  was  called  Malcolm,  and  the  other 
Donalbain.  But  King  Duncan  wras  too  old  to  lead  off  his 
army  to  battle,  and  his  sons  were  too  young  to  help  him. 

At  this  time  Scotland,  and  indeed  France  and  England, 
and  all  the  other  countries  of  Europe,  were  much  harassed 
by  the  Danes.  These  were  a  very  fierce,  warlike  people, 
who  sailed  from  one  place  to  another,  and  landed  their 
armies  on  the  coast,  burning  and  destroying  everything 
wherever  they  came.  They  were  heathens,  and  did  not 
believe  in  the  Bible,  but  thought  of  nothing  but  battle  and 
slaughter  and  making  plunder. 


/ 


SECTTO\T  IT.     PARTS  OF  SPEECH 


V.  A  noun  is  a  name.  A  proper  noun  is  a  name  of  a 
particular  person,  place,  or  thing.  All  other  nouns  are  called 
common  nouns.    A  common  noun  which  names  a  quality  or 


202  ./  First  Year  English  Book 

a   general   idea,   is   called  an   abstract   noun;   as,   "virtue," 

"wealth. '*     A  common  noun  which  names  a  group,  is  called 
a  collective  noun;  as,  "committee,'-  "army.'* 

VI.  A  pronoun  is  a  word  which   refers  to  a  person  or 
thing  without  naming  him  or  it.     A  personal  prononn   is 
one  that  by  its   form  distinguishes  the  speaker,  the  pi  i 
spoken  to,  or  the  person  or  thing  spoken  <>f. 

A  relative  pronoun  refers  to  some  noun  or  pronoun, 
which  is  called  an  antecedent,  and  connects  its  clause  with 
that  antecedent ;  as,  "The  man  who  would  be  king." 

The  pronouns  "who,"  "which"  and  "what,"  when  used 
in  asking  a  question,  are  called  interrogative  pronouns. 

Certain  adjectives  may  be  used  as  pronouns,  and  are- 
called  adjective  pronouns:  "Give  me  that  hook."  {Adject- 
ive.)    "That  is  the  book  I  want."     (Adjective  pronoun.) 

There  are  three  kinds  of  adjective  pronouns:  demon- 
strative, such  as,  "this,"  "that."  "the  former;"  numeral 
(often  called  indefinite),  as.  "some."  "few,"  "any";  dis- 
tributive, as,  "each,"  "either."  "neither." 

Examples:  "This  is  the  way."  "Many  are  called,  but 
few  are  chosen."     "T  want  neither  of  them." 

VII.  An  adjective  is  a  word  which  describes  or  limits 
the  meaning-  of  a  noun  or  pronoun;  as,  "The  merry  lark 
is  singing." 

A  proper  adjective  is  an  adjective  formed  from  a  proper 
noun.  Jt  is  written  with  a  capital  letter;  as,  "English;" 
"Christian." 

An  article  is  a  limiting  word  which  cannot  be  used  alone, 
but  which  is  always  joined  to  a  noun.  It  has  no  descriptive 
meaning.  There  are  two  kinds  of  articles :  the  definite 
article  "the,"  which  points  out  a  particular  individual  or 
group ;  the  indefinite  articles  "a"  and  "an,"  which  do  not 
point  out  a  particular  individual  or  group. 


Appendix  .  /  203 

Examples:     "The  king  called  a  courtier." 

VIII.  A  verb  is  a  word  which  assert?  something  of  its 
subject.  A  group  of  words  which  makes  a  statement  is 
called  a  verb-phrase. 

Examples:    "Time  flies."    "I  should  have  helped  you." 

A  transitive  verb  is  a  verb  which  requires  an  object  to 
complete  its  meaning.  An  intransitive  verb  is  one  which 
does  not  require  an  object  to  complete  its  meaning.  Many 
verbs  are  transitive  or  intransitive  according  to  their  use  in 
the  sentence. 

Examples:     "He  dwells  alone.*'     "He  learns  his  lesson." 

An  auxiliary  verb  is  a  verb  which  is  used  with  the  infini- 
tives or  participles  of  a  verb  to  complete  its  conjugation. 
The  most  common  auxiliary  verbs  are  "be,"'  ''have,"  "do," 
"may,"  and  their  various  forms. 

Examples:  "I  go."  "I  shall  go."  'T  might  go."  "I 
was  told  so." 

In  each  verb  there  are  certain  forms  which  do  not  assert 
something  of  a  subject;  they  are  called  verbals.  They  are 
of  three  kinds:  participles,  infinitives,  and  gerunds. 

A  participle  combines  the  functions  of  adjective  and 
verb.  It  at  the  same  time  expresses  action  or  being,  ami 
modifies  a  noun. 

Example:  "I  remember  my  father,  standing  before  the 
fire,  his  head  thrown  back,  his  hands  thrust  into  his  pockets, 
talking  to  us  in  a  pleasant,  desultory  way." 

A  gerund  is  like  a  present  participle  in  form,  and  is  used 
like  a  noun. 

Example:     "He  enjoyed  learning  the  poem." 

An  infinitive  is  a  form  oi  the  verb  which  expresses  an 
action  or  a  state  without  asserting  it  of  a  subject.  It  has 
various  uses:  as  a  noun.  "To  see  is  to  believe;"  as  an  ad- 
jective. "I  have  a  lesson  to  learn:"  to  complete  the  meaning 


204  A  First  Year  English  Book 

of  another  verb,  "J   went   to  see  him."     Ii   may   itself  be 
modified  In  an  adverb,  as,  "  I  hope  some  time  to  play  well." 

IX.  An  adverb  is  a  word  which  modifies  a  verb,  an  ad- 
jective, or  another  adverb. 

Examples:  "It  was  raining  heazily."  "The  burden  was 
very  heavy."     "It  was  raining  very  heavily." 

X.  A  preposition  is  a  word  which  shows  the  relation 
between  a  noun  it  pronoun  and  some  other  word  in  the 
sentence. 

Examples:  "The  hook  is  on  the  table."  "Beneath  the 
ledge  grew  ferns  ami  columbine." 

XI.  A  conjunction  is  a  word  which  connects  words, 
phrases  or  propositions.  A  coordinate  conjunction  is  one 
that  connects  elements  of  equal  rank  in  the  sentence.  "Sir 
Richard  spoke  and  he  laughed." 

A  subordinate  conjunction  is  one  that  connects  a  dependent 
clause  to  some  part  of  another  proposition. 

Examples:  "He  walked  about  the  room  while  he  talked." 
"Take  it  if  you  want  it." 

XII.  An  interjection  i>  a  word  which  expresses  emo- 
tion. It  is  not  grammatically  related  to  other  words  in  the 
sentence. 

Examples:  ".lias!  'tis  pity!"  "Hurrah!  the  day  is 
won  !" 

Exercise 


irt/of  : 


Xame  the  parti  of  speech  in  the  following: 

On  one  side  of  the  moat  was  a  large  wood,  and  here 
Arthur  spent  a  great  deal  of  his  time,  lie  liked  to  lie  under 
the  trees  and  gaze  up  at  the  blue  of  the  sky.     All  about  him 


Appendix  A  205; 

old  oaks  stood  like  giant  guardians  watching  sturdily  over 
the  soil  where  they  had  grown  for  centuries.  Arthur  could 
look  between  the  trunks  and  see  rabbits  and  squirrels  frisk- 
ing about.  Sometimes  he  heard  a  brown  deer  with  shy,  dark 
eyes  pass,  holding  its  graceful  head  high  in  the  air ;  some- 
times a  flock  of  pheasants  with  brilliant  plumage  rose  from 
the  bushes.  Again  there  was  no  sound  except  the  tapping 
of  a  bright-crested  woodpecker,  and  no  motion  but  the  flut- 
tering of  leaves  and  the  trembling  of  violets  half  buried  in 
green  moss. 

At  times,  when  it  was  dim  and  silent  in  the  wood,  Arthur 
would  hear  bursts  of  merry  laughter,  the  tinkling  of  bells, 
and  the  jingling  of  spurs.  Then  he  would  know  that  knights 
and  ladies  were  riding  down  the  road  which  ran  beside  the 
trees. 

King  Arthur  and  His  Knights,  Maude  L.  Radford. 

XIII.  Phrases  are  classified  in  two  ways, .  according  to 
their  form,  and  according  to  their  use  in  the  sentence.  A 
phrase  introduced  by  a  preposition  is  called  a  prepositional 
phrase ;  introduced  by  an  infinitive,  it  is  called  an  infinitive 
phrase ;  introduced  by  a  participle,  a  participial  phrase. 

Examples:  "Snow  lies  on  the  field."-  "To  hear  him  talk 
is  to  believe  in  his  sincerity."  "Seeing  a  curiously  wrought 
sword-hilt,  I  paused  and  examined  it." 

A  phrase  used  as  a  noun  is  called  a  noun-phrase ;  used  as 
an  adjective,  an  adjective-phrase;  used  as  an  adverb,  an 
adverbial-phrase. 

Examples:  "It  came  again  with  a  great  wakening  light." 
{Adverbial) .  "Dear  common  flower  that  growest  beside  the 
way,  fringing  the  dusty  road  with  harmless  gold.*'  (Ad- 
jective). "Hoping  past  hope  is  what  men  call  despair." 
(Noun-phrase). 

XIV.  Clauses  also  are  classified  according  to  their  use  in 
the  sentence,  as,  adjective,  adverbial,  and  noun  clauses. 

Examples:     "When  the  cat's  away  the  mice  will  play." 


206  A  First  Year  English  Book 

(Adverbial).  "The  house  that  was  built  upon  tin-  sands 
(adjective)  izWwhen  the  Hoods  came."  (Adverbial.)  "Hoiv 
a  man  can  live  well  on  nothing  a  year  is  indeed  a  puzzling 

question."     (Noun). 

Exercise 

In  the  following,  name  all  modifying  phrases.     Classify 

the  dependent  clauses  according  to  their  use.  Point  out 
coordinate  propositions  in  the  sentences,  ami  state  the  con- 
j unctions  which  connect  them. 

The  porter,  drawn  by  the  growing  turmoil,  had  vanished 
from  the  postern,  and  the  door  .stood  open  on  the  darkness 
of  the  night.  As  Seraphina  fled  up  the  terraces,  the  cries 
and  loud  footing  of  the  mob  drew  nearer  the  doomed  pal- 
ace; the  rush  was  like  the  rush  of  cavalry;  the  sound  of 
shattering  lamps  tingled  above  the  rest;  and  overtowering 
all.  she  heard  her  own  name  handied  among  the  shouters. 
A  bugle  sounded  at  the  door  of  the  guard-room;  one  gun 
was  fired;  and  then  with  the  yell  of  hundreds,  Mittwaldcn 
Palace  was  carried  at  a  rush. 

Sped  by  these  dire  sounds  and  voices,  the  Princess 
scaled  the  long  garden,  skimming  like  a  bird  the  star-lit 
stairway ;  crossed  the  Park,  which  was  in  that  place  nar- 
row;  and  plunged  upon  the  farther  side  into  the  rude 
shelter  of  the  forest.  So,  at  a  bound,  she  left  the  discretion 
and  the  cheerful  lamps  of  palace  evenings;  ceased  utterly  to 
be  a  sovereign  lady;  and.  falling  from  the  whole  height  of 
civilization,  ran  forth  into  the  woods,  a  ragged  Cinderella. 
The  Flight  of  lite  Princess,  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 

SECTION  IIP     ERRORS  IX  GRAMMAR 

Certain  errors  in  grammar  are  SO  common  that  it  re- 
quires special  care  to  eradicate  them,  especially  when  they 
are  habitual  in  speech.  The  only  way  to  rid  oneself  of 
them  is  to  practice  the  correct  forms  aloud  daily  until  these 


Appendix  A  207 

replace  the  incorrect  forms.   The  following  exercises  should 
be  used  or  omitted  according  to  the  needs  of  the  student. 

XV.  Some  pronouns  have  different  forms  for  different 
cases.  The  subject  of  a  verb  is  in  the  nominative  case;  the 
object  of  a  verb  or  of  a  preposition  is  in  the  objective  case. 
Many  people  make  mistakes  in  the  use  of  the  forms.  You 
should  say : 

"Tom  and  /  were  there,"  not  "Tom  and  me  were  there." 

"They  told  Tom  and  me  to  go,"  not  "They  told  Tom  and 
I  to  go." 

"It  is  /,"  not  "It  is  me." 

Exercise 

Unless  you  habitually  use  the  correct  form,  repeat  the 
following   forms   aloud   ten   times   every   day. 

1.  You  and  I  were  there. 

2.  He  and  I  were  there. 

3.  She  and  I  were  there. 

4.  They  and  we  were  there. 

5.  You  and  we  were  there. 

6.  It  is  I.     It  is  we.     It  was  not  I.     It  was  not  we. 

7.  Give  it  to  Tom  and  me. 

8.  Give  it  to  him  and  me. 

9.  Give  it  to  her  and  me. 

10.  Give  it  to  them  and  me. 

1 1 .  They  saw  you  and  me. 

12.  They  saw  you  and  them. 

13.  They  saw  him  and  her. 

14.  He  is  taller  than  I. 

15.  He  thought  it  was  I.     He  thought  it  was  she,  etc. 

XYI.  The  pronoun  "who,"  has  an  objective  form, 
"whom."    You  should  say: 

(1)  "To  whom  did  you  speak?"  not  "To  zAio  did  you 
speak?" 


208  A  First  Year  English  Booh 

(2)  "Whom  did  you  see?"  not  "Who  did  you  sec?" 
Write  five  sentences  using  "whom"  correctly.     Practice 
them  aloud  daily  until  the  correct  form  becomes  habitual. 

XVII.  Verbs  should  agree  with  their  subjects  in  per- 
son and  number.  "The  boy  rims"  is  singular.  "The  boys 
run"  is  plural.  Most  mistakes  in  verbs  occur  in  the  col- 
loquial forms  of  everyday  speech,  where  we  do  not  recognize 

the  number  of  the  subject. 

SE(   I  M  ).\   IV.     FORMS  Id  )K  PRACTK  E 

I  am.  You  arc.  lie  is.  I  was.  You  were,  lie  was.  I 
was  there  You  were  there,  lb-  was  there.  Was  I  there? 
Were  you  there ?  Was  he  there?  Wasn't  I  dine?  Weren't 
you  there?  Wasn't  he  there?  Neither  of  us  is  ready. 
Neither  of  us  two  was  there.  Was  either  of  them  there? 
Was  neither  of  them  there ? 

I'm  not.  You're  not.  You  aren't.  He's  not.  fie  isn't. 
We're  not.    We  aren't,  etc.    There's  no  use.    [  haven't  been. 

I've   not    been.      You    haven't    been.      You've    not    been,    etc. 
Am    I    not"      Aren't   you?      Isn't   he?   etc.       It    isn't;    'tisn't  ; 
'tisn't   I  ;  'tisn't  she ;  etc. 
Supply  the  correct  form  of  the  verb  to  be  in  the  following: 

I.  Neither  of  them present. 

Man  after  man  seen  to  fall. 

,}.  Tom.  with  Bill ready  to  <^o. 

4.  'The  man  as  well  as  the  child worthy  of  prai 

5.  Either  he  or  she  — —  mistaken. 

6.  Neither  of  us too  tired  to  go. 

7.  No  one more  honest  than  be. 

X.  Everyone  delighted. 

').      Everybody alarmed  at  the  news. 

Many  mistakes  are  made  in  the  use  of  tense-forms  of 
verbs.  The  principal  parts  of  verbs  arc  the  present,  the 
past,  and  the  past  participle,  as  "speak,  spoke,  spoken." 


Appendix  A  209 

SECTION'   V.     FORMS   FOR   PRACTICE 

I  did,  you  did,  he  did,  etc.  I  have  done,  you  have  done, 
etc.  I  saw,  you  saw,  etc.  I  have  seen,  you  have  seen,  etc. 
I  went,  you  went,  etc.  I've  gone,  you've  gone,  etc.  I  began. 
I've  begun,  etc.  I  came,  I've  come,  etc.  I  spoke,  I've 
spoken.  I  gave,  I've  given.  I  knew,  I've  known.  I  ran, 
I've  run.     1  took,  I've  taken.     I  wrote,  I've  written. 

XVIII.  One  of  the  commonest  mistakes  in  grammar  is  the 
misuse  of  "shall"  and  "will."  Yet  the  rule  is  simple.  You 
will  easily  keep  it  in  mind  if  you  remember  that  usage  is 
determined  by  meaning.  When  you  wish  to  express  in  the 
first  person  simple  futurity,  you  say,  "I  shall  call."  "We 
shall  call  as  usual."  When  you  wish  to  express,  in  the  first 
person,  determination  or  willingness,  you  say,  "  I  will." 
You  reverse  matters  when  you  are  using  the  second  and 
third  persons.  You  say,  of  something  in  the  future,  "I 
shall,"  but  "you  will,"  and  "he  will."  When  you  are  ex- 
pressing authority,  control,  or  determination,  you  say,  "I 
will,"  but  "you  shall,"  and  "he  shall."  That  is,  when  you 
are  discussing  simple  future  occurrences,  you  use  "shall" 
in  the  first  person,  and  "will"  in  the  second  and  third.  When 
you  are  expressing  determination  or  authority,  you  use 
"will"  in  the  first  person,  and  "shall"  in  the  second  and 
third. 

In  questions,  you  must  always  say  "shall"  for  the  first 
person,  not  "will."  It  would  not  show  common  sense  to 
say  "Will  I  call  on  him?"  for  you  are  then  asking  someone 
else  what  your  intention  is.  In  the  second  and  third  per- 
sons, you  use  the  form  which  will  be  used  in  the  answer 
to  your  question.  If  it  is  a  matter  of  willingness  or  de- 
termination, the  answer  will  be,  "Yes,  I  will  go,"  and,  ac- 
cordingly, your  question  should  be,  "Will  you  go?"  "Will 
you  do  me  a  favor?"    If  the  reply  indicates  simply  a  future 


210  A  First  Year  English  Book 

fact,  not  determination  or  willingness,  your  question  should 
be,  "Shall  you  go?" 

SECTION  VI.     FORMS  FOR  PRACTICE 

Shall  you  like  it?     Won't  you  try  it?     Will  you  please 
pass  the  salt?    Then  you  won't  do  it  after  all? 

Exercises 

Insert  the  correct  form,  "shall"  or  "will": 

i.  I be  glad  if  you be  so  kind. 

2.  1 be  at  home  as  usual. 

3.  You find  it  very  convenient. 

4.  He see  his  mistake. 

5.  We be  happy  to  see  you. 

6.  You  be  tired  before  noon. 

7.  They be  glad  of  the  opportunity. 

8.     I  be  glad  ?    Of  course  I . 

9.     you  be  at  home  ? 

10.     we  ever  know  the  truth  of  the  affair? 

n.     you  be  happy  to  go  home? 

12.     you  not  consent  to  go?  . 

13.  Yes,  if  you  wish  it,  I  go. 

14.  I'm  afraid  I be  late. 

15.  I'm  afraid  you be  late. 

16.  I'm  afraid  we miss  the  train. 

17.  If  you  start  at  three. you  catch  your  train  I5 

The  use  of  "should"  and  "would"  corresponds  to  the  use 
of  "shall"  and  "will."  If  you  are  in  doubt  as  to  whether 
you  should  use  "should"  or  "would,"  translate  the  terms 
into  "shall"  or  "will."    Practice  the  following  forms. 

1.  I  should  like  to  go.    Should  you  like  to  go? 

2.  I  said  that  I  should  like  it. 

3.  I  said  that  I  would  do  it  gladly. 

4.  If  it  should  rain,  we  should  miss  the  train. 

5.  If  you  would  consent  to  go  now,  you  would  catch  the 

train. 

Note  to  the  Teacher  :  Other  exercises  of  this  sort  may  be  devised 
as  the  faults  of  the  pupils  may  require.  A  good  practice  book  for  this 
purpose  is  Applied  English  Grammar.  Lewis,  Part  I. 


APPENDIX  B 

PUNCTUATION.     RULES  AND  EXERCISES. 

SECTION  I.    RULES  FOR  FORMING  POSSESSIVES 

/.  Singular  nouns  usually  form  their  possessives  by 
adding  's  to  the  nominative ;  as,  hoy,  boy's. 

Note:  Often  the  pronunciation  of  the  added  s  makes  a 
new  syllable ;  and  if  this  syllable  makes  an  unpleasant  sound, 
the  possessive  is  indicated  by  the  apostrophe  (')  alone;  as, 
"For  goodness'  sake."  This  is  chiefly  a  matter  of  taste. 
If  the  s  is  sounded,  it  is  always  written ;  and  whenever 
there  is  doubt,  it  is  well  to  follow  the  rule. 

2.     Plural  nouns  form  their  possessives  in  two  ways : — 

(a)  If  the  nominative  plural  ends  in  s,  the  possessive  is 
formed  by  the  addition  of  the  apostrophe  (')  alone;  as, 
boys,  boys'. 

(b)  If  the  nominative  plural  does  not  end  in  s,  the  pos- 
sessive is  formed  by  adding  's,  as  in  the  singular ;  as  men, 
men's. 

j.  Compound  nouns  form  their  possessives  by  the  addi- 
tion of  the  proper  sign  to  the  end  of  the  compound ;  as, 
"sister-in-law's." 

./.  Personal  and  relative  pronouns  form  their  possessives 
without  the  use  of  the  apostrophe ;  as,  "he,"  "his,"  "who," 
"whose."  The  form  it's  is  the  contracted  form  of  it  is. 
The  Indefinite  pronoun  one  forms  its  possessive  like  a  noun  ; 
as.  "one,"  "one's." 

211 


212  A  First  Year  English  Book 

SECTION  II.     RULES  FOR  THE  APOSTROPHE 

/.  The  apostrophe  is  used  to  form  the  possessive  case  of 
nouns. 

2.  The  apostrophe  is  used  to  indicate  the  elision  of  a 
letter  or  letters.     (See  4  above.) 

j.  The  apostrophe  is  used  to  form  the  plural  of  letters, 
figures,  etc. 

Example:     C,  C's  ;  r,  r's. 

SECTION   III.     RULES   FOR  QUOTATION   MARK'S 

/.  Every  direct  quotation  should  be  enclosed  in  double 
quotation  marks. 

Example:    "Shall  we  go?"  he  asked. 

2.  A  quotation  consisting  of  several  paragraphs  requires 
quotation  marks  at  the  beginning  of  each  paragraph,  and 
at  the  end  of  the  last  paragraph  only. 

Example:     See  Section  XXII,  Rule  18. 

J.  A  quotation  which  is  included  within  another  should 
be  enclosed  by  single  quotation  marks. 

Example:     See  Section  XXII,  Rule  18. 

4.  Titles  of  books,  etc.,  are  often  enclosed  by  quotation 
marks,  unless  printed  in  italics  or  underlined. 

Example:     See  Section  XXII,  Rule  18. 

Note:  This  rule  applies  to  quoted  words  and  phrases. 
The  World  says  it  is  "brutal"  and  "cruel." 

SECTION  IV.     RULES   FOR  PUNCTUATION 

/.  Nouns  or  phrases  which  are  independent  by  direct 
address  (compellatives)  should  be  separated  from  the  rc>t 
of  the  sentence  by  commas. 

Example:     "Come,  men,  let  us  go." 

2.  Parenthetical  expressions,  and  expressions  which, 
though  not  parenthetical,  come  between  important  parts  of 


Appendix  B  213 

the  sentence,  as. between  subject  and  predicate,  between  the 
predicate  verb  and  the  direct  object,  or  between  the  parts  of 
a  quotation,  should  be  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  sen- 
tence by  commas. 

Example:  Punctuation,  without  doubt,  will  aid  you  to 
express  your  thoughts  clearly. 

Note:  If  the  intermediate  expression  is  restrictive,  so 
that  it  is  inseparable  in  idea  from  what  precedes,  no  comma 
is  necessary. 

Example:     The  man  across  the  street  is  named  Williams. 

j.  Introductory  words  and  phrases  should  be  separated 
from  the  rest  of  the  sentence  by  commas,  unless  the  con- 
nection is  very  close. 

Example:     By  the  way,  who  told  you  that? 

4.  Words  in  apposition,  with  their  modifiers,  should  be 
separated  from  the  rest  of  the  sentence  by  commas. 

Example:  John  Meyer,  the  prisoner  at  the  bar,  was  now 
called  upon  for  his  defense. 

Note  i  :  If  one  of  the  terms  in  apposition  is  a  general 
title,  the  comma  may  be  omitted. 

Example:     The  novelist  Stevenson  is  dead. 

Note  2:  A  title  or  a  degree  following  the  name  of  a 
person  should  be  separated  from  the  name  by  a  comma. 

Example:     John  Smith,  Esq. 

Note  3 :  If  a  pronoun  is  used  with  a  noun,  for  emphasis 
or  in  direct  address,  the  comma  should  be  omitted. 

Example:     He  himself  did  it. 

5.  Phrases  or  clauses  placed  by  inversion  at  the  begin- 
ning of  sentences  are  usually  followed  by  commas. 

Example:  In  everything  that  relates  to  science,  I  am  be- 
hind the  rest  of  the  world. 

6.  Participial  phrases,  unless  restrictive,  and  nouns  used 
absolutely  with  a  participle,  should  be  set  off  by  commas. 


214  A  First  Year  English  Book 

Examples:  Having  been  absent,  lie  did  nut  know  the  les- 
son. Success  being  hopeless,  we  retreated.  The  door  lead- 
ing to  the  hall  was  closed. 

7.  A  very  long  subject  should  be  followed  by  a  comma. 
(Use  this  rule  rarely,  if  at  all,  in  first  year.) 

8.  Words,  phrases,  and  clauses  which  arc  contrasted 
should  be  separated  by  comma-. 

Example:     We  live  in  deeds,  not  years. 

p.  Words  or  phrases  in  the  same  construction,  forming 
a  series,  should  be  separated  from  each  other  by  commas. 

Example:  The  fruils.  Mowers,  and  shrubs  sent  forth 
grateful  perfumes. 

Note  1  :  If  there  are  two  or  more  words  or  phrases,  with 
a  conjunction  between  each  two,  no  commas  are  needed. 

Example:  The  fruits  and  flowers  and  shrubs  sent  forth 
grateful  perfumes. 

Xote  2:  If  in  the  series  the  only  conjunction  is  between 
the  last  two  members,  the  better  usage  is  to  place  a  comma 
before  the  conjunction. 

Example:    See  Rule  8. 

Note  3 :  If  the  last  two  words  or  phrases  are  not  con- 
nected by  a  conjunction,  a  comma  is  usually  placed  after  the 
series,  unless  what  follows  is  a  single  word  or  a  short  ex- 
pression very  closely  connected  with  the  series. 

Example:  The  fruits,  flowers,  shrubs,  sent  forth  grate- 
ful perfumes. 

Note  4:  If  twro  or  more  adjectives  precede  a  noun,  they 
should  not  be  separated  by  commas,  unless  they  are  of  the 
same  kind. 

Examples:  She  wore  a  pair  of  soiled  white  kid  gloves. 
He  had  in  himself  a  radiant,  living  spring  of  generous  and 
manlv  action. 


Appendix  B  215 

10.  Short  quotations,  or  expressions  resembling  quota- 
tions, should  be  set  off  by  commas. 

Example:  He  asked,  "Are  you  ready?"  The  question 
is,  What  shall  we  do  now? 

it.  A  comma  is  frequently  used  before  a  conjunction 
that  joins  two  words  or  phrases  that  are  far  apart.  (Use 
rarely  in  first  year.) 

12.  A  relative  clause  which  is  nonrestrictive  (that  is, 
which  contains  an  additional  thought)  should  be  separated 
from  the  rest  of  the  sentence  by  commas. 

Examples:  Longfellow,  who  wrote  many  poems,  was  an 
American.    The  man  whom  we  saw  is  Mr.  Drake. 

Note:  A  restrictive  clause  should  be  preceded  by  a 
comma  if  several  words  come  between  the  relative  pronoun 
and  its  antecedent,  or  when  the  relative  pronoun  refers  to 
each  of   several  antecedents. 

Example:  There  were  present  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, who  had  been  hurt. 

/j.  Dependent  clauses,  commonly  introduced  by  such 
words  as  "if,"  "when,"  "unless,"  "though,"  should  be  sep- 
arated from  the  rest  of  the  sentence  by  commas,  unless 
closely  connected. 

Example:  We  were  always  ready  to  receive  advice, 
though  we  seldom  followed  it. 

14.  In  compound  sentences  containing  a  common  verb, 
the  omission  of  the  verb  in  any  clause  except  the  first  should 
be  marked  by  a  comma,  unless  the  sense  is  clear  without  it. 

Example:     "Chaucer  painted  persons;  Spenser,  qualities. 

75.  If  the  members  of  a  compound  sentence  are  not 
joined  by  conjunctions,  they  should  be  separated  by  semi- 
colons, though  if  they  are  very  short,  commas  are  some- 
times used. 

Example:  Friends  deserted  him;  enemies  thronged  his 
way.     "I  came,  I  saw,  I  conquered." 


216  A  First  Year  English  Book 

16.  If  the  members  of  a  compound  sentence  are  not 
closely  connected  in  thought,  or  arc  subdivided  by  comma-, 
they  are  usually  separated  by  semicolons. 

Example:  Nor  is  it  always  in  the  most  distinguished 
achievements  that  a  man's  virtues  or  vices  may  be  best  dis- 
cerned; but  very  often  an  action  of  small  note,  a  short  -ax- 
ing, or  a  jest  shall  distinguish  a  person's  real  character  more 
than  the  greatest  sieges,  or  the  most  important  battles. 

77.  A  semicolon  should  precede  such  words  as  "as," 
"viz."  (namely),  "i.  e."  {that  is),  "c.  g."  (for  example), 
when  followed  by  examples,  instance-,  or  specifications. 

Example:  The  invaders  of  Britain  were  composed  of 
three  tribes;  viz.,  the  Jute-,  the  Angles,  and  the  Saxons. 

18.  When  a  direct  quotation  is  so  long  that  it  begins 
a  new  paragraph,  it  should  be  preceded  by  a  colon. 

Example:  The  poet  Longfellow  used  to  tell  the  follow- 
ing story : 

"I  was  once  riding  in  London  when  a  man  approached 
my  carriage  and  said,  'Are  you  the  author  of  the  Psalm  of 
Lifef 

"  T  am,'  I  replied. 

"  'Will  you  allow  me  to  shake  hands  with  you  ?' 

"We  clasped  hands  warmly,  the  carriage  moved  on,  and 
I  saw  him  no  more ;  but  I  remember  that  as  one  of  the  best 
compliments  I  ever  received,  because  it  was  so  sincere." 

Exercise  1 
a.  Rewrite,  using  the  necessary  periods:  1.  The  sugar 
weighs  ten  lbs,  three  oz  2.  The  train  leaves  at  ten  A  M, 
the  boat,  at  two  P  M  j.  I  replied  on  the  2nd  inst  to  yours 
of  the  30th  ult  4.  Lieut  Col  and  Mrs  Smith,  Capt  and 
Mrs  Rogers.  5.  Hamlet's  soliloquy,  "To  be  or  not  to  be," 
is  in  Act  III,  Scene  1  6.  Here  are  three  letters, — one  for 
Jamaica,  L  I,  one  for  Bridgeport,  Conn,  and  one  for  Chi- 
cago, 111  7.  We  send  you  inclosed  a  MS  of  284  pp,  from 
the  Rev  J  J  Walker  of  Washington,  D  C 


Appendix  B  217 

b.  Rezvrite,  making  the  usual  abbreviations  and  punctu- 
ating: 1.  Address  the  letter  to  Messieurs  J  C  Smith  and 
Company,  22  Market  Street,  Newark,  New  Jersey.  2.  The 
chief  railroad  stations  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  are 
the  Broad  Street  Station  of  the  Pennsylvania  Rail  Road 
and  the  Terminal  of  the  Reading-  Rail  Road.  5.  The  Stuart 
Kings  of  England  are  James  I,  Charles  I,  Charles  II,  James 
II,  and  Anne.  4.  The  meeting  was  addressed  by  the  Rev- 
erend Joseph  Speaker,  Doctor  of  Divinity,  Professor  Fow- 
ler, and  Doctor  Waters.  5.  The  quotation  is  from  Milton's 
Paradise  Lost,  Book  II,  lines  1-5. 

Exercise  2 

Rewrite,  punctuating:  1.  Its  too  bad  hes  gone.  2. 
Every  subjects  duty  is  the  kings;  but  every  subjects  soul 
is  his  own.  j.  Mind  your  ps  and  your  qs.  4.  Whom  the 
gods  love  die  young  was  said  of  yore.  5.  Good  speed  cried 
the  watch  as  the  gate-bolts  undrew.  6.  You  are  old  father 
William  the  young  man  said.  7.  The  man  replied  my  child 
you  are  right.  8.  (Write  as  a  direct  quotation)  The  man 
told  ^)hn  to  go  home.  p.  (Write  as  an  indirect  quotation) 
"I  am  Peter  Klaus,"  he  said,  "and  no  other."  10.  (Punctu- 
ate in  tzvo  ways  to  mean  very  different  things)  The  Doctor 
said  the  Professor  is  crazy. 

Exercise  3 

Rezvrite,  punctuating:  1.  He  was  unwilling  he  said  to 
part  from  his  people  without  a  word.  2.  If  she  had  said 
pretty  Annie  there  would  have  been  some  sense  to  it.  5. 
Dear  master  I  can  go  no  farther  farewell  kind  master.  4. 
God  save  thee  brother  exclaimed  the  monk.  5.  Horatius 
quoth  the  consul  as  thou  sayest,  so  let  it  be.  6.  All  work 
even  cotton  spinning  is  noble.  7.  Dismiss  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble all  envious  feelings.  8.  The  officer  shouted  charge  like 
heroes  men.  p.  My  boy  is  gone  forever  cried  the  father. 
70.  Every  man  however  humble  he  may  be  can  do  some- 
thing to   benefit   society. 

Exercise  4 

Rezvrite,  punctuating:  1.  Mother  Im  to  be  Queen  of  the 
May.     2.  Novels  as  a  class  are  injurious  to  many  young 


218  A  First  Year  English  Book 

people.  J.  Much  of  his  popularity  he  owed  we  believe  to 
that  very  timidity  which  his  friends  lamented.  4.  Tell  me 
John  what  you  have  found.  5.  A  good  motto  for  you  un- 
friend is  make  haste  slowly.  6.  I  shall  not  run  answered 
Herbert  stubbornly.  7.  Let  us  if  we  must  have  great  ac- 
tions make  our  own  so.  8.  Cease  fool  thy  prattle,  p.  Its 
too  bad  the  box  has  lost  its  lid. 

10.     Summer  woods  about  them  blowing 
Made  a  murmur  in  the  land. 

Exercise  5 

Rewrite,  punctuating:     1.  The  managers  with   Burke  at 

their  head  appeared  in  full  dre^<.  2.  And  I  said  my  cousin 
Amy  speak,  and  speak  the  truth  to  me.  3.  Keats  says  that 
truth  is  beauty  and  beauty  is  truth.  ./.  ( )h,  surely  my  good 
mother  you  will  not  refuse  me  this.  5.  These  three  books 
and  they  are  not  expensive  are  all  that  you  will  need.  6.  I 
am  a  wayfarer  the  stranger  said  and  would  like  permission 
to  remain  with  you  a  little  while.  7.  I  thought  the  writing 
excellent,  and  wished  if  possible  to  imitate  it.  8.  Shall  we 
go  now  asked  John  it  has  stopped  raining.  o.  So  Tike  a 
shattered  column  lay  the  king.  10.  You  are  wrong  my  boy 
though  you  cannot  see  it  now. 

Exercise  6 

Reunite,  punctuating:  1.  My  wish  nevertheless  was 
heard  and  remembered.  2.  It  is  then  a  mark  of  wisdom  to 
live  virtuously,  j.  O  are  you  come  Iago.  4.  There  is  a 
parrot  too  calling  out  pretty  Poll  pretty  Poll  as  we  pass  by 
5.  Religion  then  has  an  undeniable  part  to  play.  6.  Then 
he  came.  7.  Yes  the  messenger  has  gone.  8.  Let  us  be  of 
good  cheer  however  remembering  that  the  misfortunes  hard- 
est to  bear  are  those  that  never  come.  0.  We  shall  never 
know  perhaps.  10.  The  Dakota  tribes  doubtless  then  occu- 
pied the  country  southwest  of  the  Missouri. 

Exercise  7 
Rewrite,  punctuating:     1.    One  of  the  best  books  I  ever 
read  Little  ^Yomen  was  written  by  Miss  Alcott.     2.  Balti- 
more the  Monumental  City  has  grown  rapidly.     3.  (  >n  the 
contrary  he  is  able  to  come.     4.  W'c  your  representatives 


Appendix  B  219 

shall  demand  justice.  5.  All  these  however  were  mere  ter- 
rors of  the  night.  6.  However  you  may  feel  son  you  must 
do  your  work.  7.  The  poet  Lowell  was  a  native  of  Cam- 
bridge. 8.  Whittier's  story,  The  Rattlesnake  Hunter,  is 
based  upon  this  fact.  o.  Hawthorne  himself  could  scarcely 
have  imagined  a  wilder,   stranger  story. 

10.     My  country  tis  of  thee 
Sweet  land  of  liberty 
Of  thee  I  sing. 

Exercise  8 

Rewrite,  punctuating:  1.  Like  most  gifted  men  he  won 
affection  with  ease.  2.  When  the  court  sat  again  Mr.  Fox 
assisted  by  Mr.  Grey  opened  the  charge.  3.  It  is  impos- 
sible however  to  change  the  natural  order,  and  they  who 
attempt  it  must  suffer.  4.  When  Jason  the  son  of  the  de- 
posed king  of  Colchis  was  a  little  boy  he  was  sent  away 
from  his  parents,  and  placed  under  the  queerest  schoolmas- 
ter that  you  ever  heard  of.  5.  Though  he  were  dumb  it 
would  speak.  6.  Cadmus  said  a  voice  Cadmus  pluck  out 
the  dragon's  teeth,  and  plant  them  in  the  earth.  /.  As  they 
neared  it  the  appearance  of  the  reef  became  more  and  more 
forbidding.  8.  Up  ran  also  a  great  many  trumpeters.  o.  I 
have  two  brothers  George  and  Henry  my  brother  George 
is  older  than  I,  but  my  brother  Henry  is  younger. 

10.  Now  who  be  ye  would  cross  Lochgyle 
This  dark  and  stormy  water? 

Exercise  9 

Rewrite,  punctuating:  1.  The  President  after  having  re- 
viewed the  troops  started  on  a  trip  to  California.  2.  To 
what  purpose  said  the  merchant  hesitating  we  know  noth- 
ing of  the  youths  character,  j.  Isaacs  father  being  dead 
Mrs.  Newton  was  married  again  to  a  clergyman.  4.  Gen- 
erally speaking  the  dogs  which  stray  around  the  butcher 
shops  restrain  their  appetites.  5.  Because  the  doctor  in- 
sisted on  a  change  of  scene  they  took  the  invalid  to  Men- 
tone.  6.  Mr.  Carr  seeing  his  nephew  in  the  room  re- 
proached him  bitterly.  J.  The  teacher  being  away  for  the 
day  the  children  went  home.     8.  Wearied  bv  his  London 


220  ./  First  Year  English  Book 

life  [rving  started  for  a  tour  on  the  Continent,  p.  Human 
life  may  be  compared  to  a  river  flowing  ever  toward  the 
sea  of  Eternity,  jo.  If  you  ran  talk  in  human  language 
say  what  you  would  have  me  do. 

Exercise  10 
Rewrite,  punctuating:  i.  Up  spoke  John  saying  father 
if  you  let  me  go  I  will  on  my  return  carry  all  the  wood  into 
the  cellar.  2.  The  school-house  being  deserted  soon  fell  to 
decay,  y.  The  school-house  being  deserted  they  went  on 
to  the  church.  ./.  The  horizon  was  of  a  fine  golden  tint 
changing  gradually  into  a  deep  apple-green.  5.  The  man 
with  the  long  coat  on  is  Mr.  Appleby  our  new  minister,  o. 
In  [862  a  few  days  after  the  hattle  of  Antictam  Lincoln  is- 
sued his  immortal  proclamation  announcing  that  on  the  fol- 
lowing New  Year's  Day  in  all  such  states  as  had  not  by  that 
time  returned  to  their  allegiance  the  slaves  should  he  forever 
lire.  ;•.  The- man  having  finished  his  work  went  home.  8. 
The  man  having  finished  his  work  we  all  admired  it.  p. 
Truth  crushed  to  earth  will  rise  again.  10.  In  such  circum- 
stances be  guided  by  your  judgment. 

Exercise  11 

Rewrite,  punctuating:  1.  We  live  in  y\c^\\-  not  years.  2. 
But  they  were  happy  grateful  pleased  with  one  another  and 
contented  with  the  times.  5.  lie  their  sire  was  butchered 
to  make  a  Roman  holiday.  4.  Bruce  seeing  the  success  of 
the  spider  resolved  to  try  his  own  fortune.  5.  Bryant  was 
robust  but  not  tyrannical:  frugal  but  not  severe;  grave  yet 
full  of  shrewd  and  kindly  humor.  6.  Industry  honesty  tem- 
perance are  essential  to  happiness.  7.  It  was  a  bright  calm 
cold  night.  8.  She  wore  a  pair  of  soiled  white  kid  glove-. 
p.  Here  comes  a  big  rough  dog  a  countryman's  dog  in 
search  of  his  master.  10.  I  come  to  bury  Caesar  not  to 
praise  him. 

Exercise  12 

Rewrite,  punctuating:  1.  There  are  few  voices  in  the 
world  but  many  echoes.  2.  The  great  burden-  he  had  borne 
the  terrible  anxieties  and  perplexities  that  had  poisoned  his 
life  and  the  peaceful  scenes  that  he  had  forever  left  behind 
swept  aero--  his  memory,    j.   In  half  a  minute  Mrs.  Cratchit 


Appendix  D  221 

entered  flushed  but  smiling  proudly  with  the  pudding  like 
a  speckled  cannon  ball  so  bard  and  firm  blazing  in  half 
a  quartern  of  ignited  brandy.  4.  Punish  guide  instruct  the 
boy.  5.  The  college  was  a  large  light  standstone  structure 
with  red  sandstone  trimming  6.  While  the  emperor  was 
speaking  a  breathless  silence  pervaded  the  whole  audience. 
7.  The  ledge  blurred  at  first  in  outline  now  stood  out  in 
bold  relief.  8.  The  sea  carried  men  spars  casks  planks  bul- 
warks heaps  of  such  toys  into  the  boiling  surge,  p.  At 
one  time  he  was  a  radical  at  another  a  conservative.  10. 
Not  only  his  duty  but  also  his  inclination  prompts  him  to 
be  kind  to  his  mother. 

Exercise  13 

Rewrite,  punctuating:  1.  All  eyes  were  now  turned  upon 
Philip  who  had  not  spoken.  2.  The  book  that  you  want  is 
on  the  table.  3.  Sir  Walter  Scott  who  was  a  famous  nov- 
elist is  also  the  author  of  several  notable  poems.  4.  Water 
which  is  composed  of  oxygen  and  hydrogen  is  necessary  to 
life.  5.  He  that  will  not  work  shall  not  eat.  6.  The  man 
whom  I  want  to  see  is  gone.  7.  The  cloud  which  had  scat- 
tered so  deep  a  murkiness  over  the  day  had  now  settled  into 
a  solid  and  impenetrable  mass.  8.  I  that  denied  thee  gold 
will  give  my  heart,  o.  The  books  which  help  you  most  are 
those  which  make  you  think  most.  10.  The  judge  who  was 
a  shrewd  fellow  winked  at  the  iniquity  of  the  decision. 

Exercise  14 
Rewrite,  punctuating:  1.  The  man  who  had  first  spoken 
then  arose  and  asked  the  attention  of  the  audience.  2.  The 
man  who  proved  to  be  an  escaped  convict  had  in  his  pos- 
session one  of  the  missing  papers.  3.  I  once  ascended  the 
spire  of  Strassburg  Cathedral  which  is  the  highest  I  think 
in  Europe.  4.  After  a  short  interval  Charles  turning  to 
Philip  who  in  an  attitude  of  deep  respect  stood  awaiting  his 
commands  thus  addressed  him.  5.  The  river  being  flooded 
my  uncle  whose  temper  had  been  growing  worse  all  day 
broke  out  into  a  series  of  snorts  grumblings  and  sputterings 
which  would  have  been  laughable  at  any  other  time.  6. 
However  if  we  have  to  do  it  we  might  as  well  do  it  now. 
7.  Lastly  in  the  name  of  human  nature  itself  in  the  name  of 


222  A  First  Year  English  Book 

both  sexes  in  the  name  of  every  age  in  the  name  of  every 

rank  I  impeach  the  common  enem)  and  oppressor  of  all.  8. 
But  they  arc  choosing  neither  a  king  nor  a  president  else 
we  should  hear  a  most  horrible  snarling,     p.  The)   flew  to 

the  better  country  the  upper  day.  TO.  It  1  were  you  Minnie 
said  the  king  I  would  run  home  to  my  mother. 

Exercise  15 

Rewrite,  punctuating  and  capitalizing:  Mr.  Smith  who 
has  the  reputation  of  being  a  generous  uncle  was  talking  to 
little  Johnnie  his  nephew  well  Johnnie  he  said  how  are  you 
getting  along  with  your  french  oh  very  well  uncle  we  have 
nice  sensible  sentences  now  the  lesson  this  morning  read  my 
uncle  never  forgets  me  at  christmas  and  i  hope  he  will  give 
me  a  sled  a  bicycle  and  a  pony  this  time  if  he  knew  how 
much  i  want  them  he  would  i  am  sure. 

Exercise  16 

Rezcritc,  punctuating  and  capitalizing:  Francis  Wilson 
the  comedian  tells  this  story  many  years  ago  i  was  a  mem- 
ber of  a  company  playing  she  stoops  to  conquer  one  evening 
in  a  small  town  a  man  without  any  money  stepped  up  to 
the  box-office  and  said  pass  me  in  please  the  box-office  man 
gave  a  loud  harsh  laugh  pass  you  in  what  for  he  asked 
the  applicant  drew  himself  up  and  answered  haughtily 
what  for  why  because  i  am  oliver  goldsmith  the  author 
of  the  play  oh  i  beg  your  pardon  sir  replied  the  box-office 
man  hastily  seizing  his  pencil  he  wrote  out  an  order  for  a 
box. 

Exercise  17 

Rewrite,  punctuating:  i.  If  you  see  Margaret  to-day 
please  give  her  this  book.  2.  The  house  is  brilliantly  lighted 
the  rooms  are  decorated  and  everything  is  in  readiness  for 
the  arrival  of  the  guests.  5.  Though  he  slay  me  yet  will  I 
trust  him.  7.  If  the  good  is  there  so  is  the  evil.  5.  God 
made  the  country  man  made  the  town.  6.  He  holds  his 
watch  in  his  left  hand  but  clutched  in  such  a  manner  that 
you  cannot  see  the  dial-plate.  7.  When  he  died  poor  people 
lost  one  of  their  best  friends.  8.  As  they  now  gazed  for 
the  last  time  on  that  revered  form  and  listened  to  the  part- 
ing admonitions  from  his  lips  they  were  deeply  affected,     o. 


Appendix  B  223 

Smooth  back  your  curls  Annie  and  let  me  tie  on  your  bon- 
net and  we  will  set  forth. 

10.  When  Duty  whispers  low  Thou  must    ■ 
The  youth   replies   I  can. 

Exercise  18 

Rewrite,  punctuating:  1.  To  err  is  human  to  forgive 
divine.  2.  My  end  draws  nigh  'tis  time  that  I  were  gone. 
3.  To  be  really  wise  we  must  labor  after  knowledge  to  be 
learned  we  must  study  to  be  great  in  anything  we  must 
have  patience.  4.  Worth  makes  the  man  the  want  of  it 
the  fellow.  5.  Then  shook  the  hills  with  thunder  riven 
then  rushed  the  steeds  to  battle  driven.  6.  They  were  not 
a  handsome  family  they  were  not  well  dressed  their  shoes 
were  far  from  being  waterproof  their  clothes  were  scanty. 

7.  Homer  was  the  greater  genius  Virgil  the  better  artist. 

8.  It  ought  to  have  been  enough  to  satisfy  him  but  it  was 
not.  p.  Suddenly  in  the  air  before  them  not  farther  up 
than  a  low  hilltop  flared  a  lambent  flame.  10.  \\  nile  work- 
ing his  way  through  college  he  saved  a  hundred  dollars. 

Exercise  19 

Rewrite,  punctuating:  1.  Irving  was  born  in  1783  Long- 
fellow in  1807  and  Holmes  in  1809.  2.  The  Normans  ral- 
lied and  the  day  was  lost.  5.  Who  was  that  short  sturdy 
plainly  dressed  man  ?  4.  It  was  a  strange  thing  to  do 
nor  was  it  very  easy  I  should  imagine  to  dig  out  all  those 
teeth  from  the  dead  dragon's  jaw.  5.  Leave  me  here  and 
when  you  want  me  sound  the  bugle  horn.  6.  Every  town 
had  its  fair  every  village  its  wake.  7.  Although  defeated 
so  many  times  he  never  gave  way  to  discouragement.  8. 
Sink  or  swim  live  or  die  survive  or  perish  I  give  my  hand 
and  my  heart  to  this  vote.  0.  Then  up  rose  Mrs.  Cratchit 
Cratchit's  wife  dressed  out  but  poorly  in  a  twice  turned 
gown  but  brave  in  ribbons  and  she  laid  the  cloth  assisted 
by  Belinda  Cratchit  her  second  daughter  also  brave  in  rib- 
bons. 10.  Nobody  jostles  her  all  turn  aside  to  make  way 
for  little  Annie  and  what  is  most  singular  she  appears  con- 
scious of  her  claim  to  such  respect. 


APPENDIX  C 

SECTION  I.     WRITING  ADVERTISEMENTS 

Countless  advertisements  are  written  every  year,  and  mil- 
lions of  dollars  are  paid  to  print  them.  One  authority  puts 
the  total  annual  expense  of  printed  forms  of  advertising  at 
six  hundred  millions  of  dollars.  One  million  was  spent  in 
one  year  in  advertising  a  single  cereal.  The  Century  Mag- 
azine charges  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  a  full  page 
advertisement.  The  Ladies'  Home  Journal  charges  seven 
dollars  and  fifty  cents  for  a  single  agate  line  (there  are  four- 
teen such  lines  to  the  inch  i  the  width  of  one  column  for  a 
single  insertion.  And  yet,  very  many  advertisements  do  not 
pay.  It  has  been  estimated  that  seventy-five  per  cent  of 
all  advertisements  are  a  loss ;  and  still  the  other  twenty-five 
pay  so  well  that  business  men  feel  that  they  must  advertise. 

In  many  cases  it  is  impossible  to  tell  beforehand  whether 
an  advertisement  will  succeed  or  not.  It  is  a  good  deal  like 
presenting  a  play :  the  managers  and  actors  cannot  tell  in 
advance  whether  the  play  will  attract  the  public.  For  this 
reason  it  is  difficult  to  give  many  suggestions  which  will 
inevitably  bring  success  in  the  writing  of  advertisements ; 
but  there  are  some  which  must  be  followed,  or  failure  is 
certain. 

As  a  rule,  the  picture  which  usually  accompanies  an 
advertisement  catches  the  reader's  attention,  and  so  takes 
some  of  the  burden  from  the  writer.  But  a  conscientious 
writer  will  try  to  make  his  advertisement  as  interesting  as 
if  no  extraneous  aid  accompanied  it.  The  average  reader 
feels  that  he  is  paying  you  a  compliment  in  reading  your 
advertisement ;  thus  you  must  work  doubly  hard  to  win  his 

224 


Appendix  C  225 

interest.  He  will  not  be  interested  if  you  are  wordy  or 
ambiguous.  For  example,  it  is  stated  that  a  famous  firm 
lost  money  in  England  by  using  in  advertising  the  expres- 
sion, "The  smile  that  won't  come  off,"  because  "come  off" 
to  the  English  conveys  the  meaning  of  '"happen."  Let  every 
word,  then,  be  absolutely  clear,  and  as  definite  and  forceful 
as  possible. 

Before  you  can  write  thus,  you  must  think  over  your  mate- 
rial again  and  again,  trying  to  shape  it  in  different  ways 
until  your  mind  is  thoroughly  accustomed  to  looking  at  it 
in  all  possible  forms.  This  means  that  you  must  choose 
words  that  are  applicable  to  the  thing  you  are  advertising, 
and  to  nothing  else.  For  example,  the  following  advertise- 
ment is  poor,  because  it  might  apply  to  several  different 
things : 

"The in  its  fourth  year  of  existence  has  endeared  it- 
self to  old  friends,  and  is  winning  new  ones.  Xo  family 
once  having  tested  it,  can  afford  to  be  without  it.  Xo  judge, 
however  severe,  can  fail  to  testify  to  its  excellence.  If  the 
purchaser  is  not  satisfied  with  it,  we  cheerfully  refund  his 
money.  For  full  particulars  apply  to  the  Com- 
pany. X'ew  York." 

The  ,  then,  might  be  baking-powder,  or  breakfast 

food,  soap,  a  chest-protector,  or  a  sewing-machine.  If  your 
article  is  something  to  eat,  arouse  in  the  first  line  your 
reader's  desire  to  taste  it :  if  it  is  a  musical  instrument, 
appeal  to  his  sense  of  hearing ;  if  it  is  a  pair  of  woolen  hose 
make  him  feel  how  pleasant  the  warm  contact  of  the  wool 
would  be.  Consider  your  object  thoroughly,  make  your- 
self a  real  admirer  of  the  object,  see  how  it  feels  or  looks 
or  tastes  or  sounds  to  you,  and  then  make  your  reader  feel 
that  effect. 

Further,  you  must  catch  your  reader's  attention  at  once. 
He  may  be  stepping  into  the  street  car,  and  for  one  instant 


226  ./  First  Year  English  Book 

his  eye  lights  on  your  advertisement;  in  that  instant,  he 
must  be  attracted,  or  he  will  not  care  to  finish  reading  it 
when  he  has  taken  his  seat.  And  remember  that  your 
beginning  must  be  brief  as  well  as  interesting.  No  less 
important  is  the  ending:  when  the  last  word  of  your  adver- 
tisement is  finished,  stop.  The  following  is  an  example  of 
a  good  brief  advertisement  which  catches  the  attention 
immediately : 

THE  FIRST 

THREE-DOLLAR   HAT   IX   NEW  YORK  WAS 

THE  WALDORF. 

THE  WALDORF  THREE-DOLLAR  HAT   IS  STILL 

THE  FIRST. 

A  word  or  two  about  advertisements  in  verse:    These  are 

attractive  if  they  are  good,  but  if  bad  they  fall  very  flat. 
Choose  a  Mibject  which  is  rit  for  verse  and  can  be  put  in  a 
jingling  meter.  Then  see  that  your  rhythm  is  smooth  and 
the  rhyming  perfect.  But  whether  you  write  rhyme  or 
serviceable  prose,  remember  these  cautions:  Consider  how 
your  subject  will  appeal  to  the  reader;  that  is,  which  of  his 
senses  it  should  affect ;  next,  think  it  over  so  thoroughly  that 
you  are  master  of  it  from  all  points  of  view  ;  then  clothe  it 
in  clear,  concrete,  forceful  words,  paying  particular  atten- 
tion to  the  beginning  and  the  end. 

Exercises 
Write  an  advertisement  of  a  new  cereal. 


Write  an  advertisement  of  a  new  automobile. 
Write  an  advertisement  of  a  business  college. 
Write  an  advertisement  of  an  auction  sale. 
Write  an  advertisement  of  a  circus. 


APPENDIX  D 

SECTIOX  I.     WRITING  FOR  NEWSPAPERS 

Considering-  how  many  daily  and  weekly  newspapers 
there  are  in  the  world,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  you  may  wish 
to  become  an  occasional  contributor  to  one  or  more  of  these, 
or  perhaps  a  regular  reporter.  There  are  many  contributors 
and  reporters,  and  there  are  thousands  who  try  to  fill  these 
positions  and  fail.  If  you  want  to  write  for  the  newspapers, 
you  must  first  of  all  get  what  the  editor  calls  "news."  By 
this  is  meant  any  event  or  occurrence  not  previously  printed, 
which  is  interesting  to  a  number  of  people ;  or  perhaps  some- 
thing occurs  which  has  been  written  about,  but  which  is 
particularly  timely.  If  you  take  a  trip  to  New  York  on 
a  train,  that  is  not  new.  But  if  on  that  train  you  make  ac- 
quaintance with  a  great  English  politician  traveling  incog- 
nito, and  get  from  him  the  material  for  an  "interview,"  that 
is  news  which  the  average  editor  would  be  glad  to  take. 
Or  if  there  is  a  bad  accident  on  the  train,  and  you  are  able 
to  write  an  account  of  it  as  a  capable  eye-witness,  this  is 
news.  Suppose  a  great  general  is  killed ;  then  little  stories 
which  have  been  printed  about  him  months  ago  could  be 
rewritten,  and  would  be  read  because  of  their  timeliness, 
while  these  same  stories,  submitted  to  an  editor  a  year  after 
the  general's  death,  would  be  refused. 

But  it  is  not  enough  to  have  good  and  timely  material ; 
you  must  know  how  to  treat  the  material.  In  the  first  place, 
you  must  be  master  of  all  the  facts  relating  to  your  "story," 
as  the  newspaper  account  is  technically  called.     If  you  were 

227 


228  A  First  Year  English  Book 

to  write  an  account  of  a  train  wreck  which  was  merely 
descriptive,  it  would  be  worthless;  and  if  it  were  full  of 
comment  on  the  fearful  carelessness  towards  life  which  we 
Americans  show,  it  would  be  worthless.  The  public  wants 
facts.  You  would  be  expected  to  tell  what  was  the  probable 
cause  of  the  wreck,  just  where  and  when  it  took  place;  the 
number  of  lives  lost;  the  probable  amount  of  damage  done. 
If  you  were  submitting  your  "interview"  with  the  politician, 
you  should  have  in  it  various  interesting  facts  about  him ; 
why  he  was  visiting  America;  where  he  had  been  so  far; 
where  he  was  going  next ;  how  long  he  intended  to  stay  in 
this  country. 

The  work  of  a  writer  for  the  newspaper,  then,  is  to  give 
plain  facts,  and  all  necessary  facts.  As  he  is  merely  a  trans- 
mitter of  timely  and  interesting  news,  he  must  omit  any 
personal  reflection  or  moralizing.  He  must  give  news  in 
the  simplest  and  clearest  manner  possible.  Moreover,  he 
must  present  his  facts  in  a  particular  order.  If  you  will 
examine  any  newspaper  account  of  a  stirring  event,  you  will 
find  that  the  most  prominent  facts  or  incidents  are  put  in 
the  headlines  and  in  the  first  paragraph  or  two,  while  the 
rest  of  the  details  come  later,  though  this  method  often 
involves  repetition.  This  plan  of  presentation  is,  of  course, 
to  save  the  time  of  the  busy  reader,  who,  by  reading  the  first 
paragraph  or  two,  gets  the  main  facts  without  loss  of  time. 

The  power  of  finding  and  selecting  news  can  be  acquired. 
You  learned  in  the  earlier  sections  of  this  book  that  close 
observation  was  essential  before  you  could  find  interesting 
material  about  which  to  write.  Close  observation,  a  keen 
curiosity  about  the  life  which  surrounds  you,  the  habit  of 
storing  up  facts  in  your  mind  and  in  your  note-books,  and 
the  power  to  tell  just  what  you  see,  such  is  the  road  to  suc- 
cess in  newspaper  writing. 

Can  you  shut  your  eye  and  see  every  detail  of  the  street 


Appendix  D  229 

along  which  you  pass  to  school?  There  is  a  store  being 
built  on  the  corner;  who  is  building  it?  Who  is  the  con- 
tractor? How  many  workmen  are  engaged?  When  does 
the  owner  move  in?  What  kind  of  store  is  it?  You  know 
a  merry-faced,  talkative  old  man  who  built  the  first  house 
in  town ;  do  you  know  when  it  was  or  why  he  chose  the 
site  or  anything  of  his  history?  Some  time  you  may  need 
the  information  he  can  give  you.  You  can  never  tell  when 
a  fact  may  be  needed,  and,  in  general,  you  may  be  sure  that 
some  time  or  other  you  can  use  nine  out  of  every  ten  facts 
you  acquire.  Observe  keenly,  then,  and  be  on  the  alert  for 
facts  and  information  of  all  sorts. 

Exercises 

1.  Read  carefully  several  copies  of  a  good  daily  paper. 
See  how  the  news  articles  are  written.  Look  at  the  head- 
lines of  a  certain  article,  and  write  upon  the  subject.  Then 
compare  your  composition  with  the  newspaper  article,  and 
see  what  facts  you  have  omitted. 

2.  Write  a  report  of  the  wedding  of  a  prominent  couple. 
Compare  your  account  with  a  good  newspaper  account  and 
see  what  you  have  omitted. 

3.  Wrrite  an  account  of  a  lecture  by  some  prominent 
lecturer  or  politician.  Compare  your  account  with  some 
newspaper  account  of  like  sort. 

4.  Write  an  account  of  some  public  event  which  has 
happened  lately  in  your  town.  Compare  with  the  newspaper 
account. 

5.  Write  an  account  of  your  commencement  exercises. 

6.  Write  an  account  of  some  important  public  build- 
ing which  is  soon  to  be  opened. 

7.  Write  an  account  of  an  accident. 


APPENDIX  E 

SUPPLEMENTARY  LIST  OF  SUBJECTS  TOR  COM- 
POSITION 


8. 

9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 

13. 

14. 
15. 
16. 

17. 
18. 

19. 

20. 
21. 

22. 
23. 

24. 
25. 
26. 

27. 
28. 
29. 

:>>o. 
31. 


My  Neighbor  in  School.  32. 

How  I  Made  a  Kite.  33. 

If  I  Were  President.  34. 

A  Narrow  Escape.  35, 

My  Saturdays.  36. 

My  Scrap-book.  37. 

My  Mother's  Old  Autograph  38. 

Album. 

A  Photograph  Album.  39. 

The  Book-store.  40. 

The  Oldest  Inhabitant.  41. 

My   Impromptu   Gynasium.  42. 

The    Leader    of    the    Demo-  43. 

crats.  44. 
The  Leader  of  the  Bepubli- 

cans.  45. 

How  I  Made  a  Paper  Hat.  46. 

The  Christmas  Windows.  47. 

The     Autobiography     of     a  48. 

Nickle.  49. 

My  Autobiography.  50. 

The  Lesson  of  The  Ancient  51. 

Mariner.  52. 

My    Visit    to    a    Newspaper  53. 

Office.  54. 

The  Latest  Air-Ship.  55. 

How     I    Earned    My     New  56. 

Eing.  57. 

An  Ideal   School.  58. 

My  Dream  About  the  Puri-  59. 

tans.  60. 

A  Disappointing   Side-show.  61. 

Smokeless  Powder.  62. 

A  Picture  of  Robert  E.  Lee.  63. 

An  Ideal  House.  64. 

The  New-comer.  65. 

A  Eunaway.  66. 

The  Crowded  Corner.  67. 

The  Game  of  the  Sparrows.  68. 
230 


A  Clever  Bird. 

The  Vociferous  Colon  v. 

A  Bird  of   Prey. 

The  Cocoon. 

The  Leg-of-mutton  Sleeve. 

The  Long  Eoad   to  — . 

My  Cousin  in  the  Kinder- 
garten. 

A  Secret. 

A  Little  Pocket  Edition. 

The  Old  Bureau. 

The  Old  Armchair. 

A  Poster. 

The  Travels  of  a  Pumpkin 
Vine. 

The  Punctured  Tire. 

What  I  Know  About  Cats. 

The  Story  of  the  Drum. 

Our  Town  Band. 

The  Last  Day  of  Winter. 

The  Clearing  in  the  Woods. 

The  Ferry  Boat. 

The  Eels. 

The  Moving  Sidewalk. 

Fishing    for   Minnows. 

Building  a  Wharf. 

The  Search  by  Night. 

The  Ghost. 

Lost. 

The  Scene  in  the  Street  Car. 

My  Eaft. 

What  I  Saw  of  the  Strike. 

My  Aunt's  Kitchen. 

Grandmother 's  Eoom. 

The  Football  Song. 

The  Lumber  Mill. 

The  Blacksmith's  Shop. 

The  Driver. 

The  Conductor. 


Appendix  E 


23  T 


69.  The  Fruit  Store. 

70.  The  Drug  Store  on  the  Cor- 

ner. 

71.  A  Visit  to  the  Home  of  the 

Old  Colonel. 

72.  How  I  went  Camping. 

73.  An  Autumn  Trip. 

74.  Fording  the  River. 
7").   My   First   Mountain. 

76.  The  Summer  Hotel. 

77.  The  Lady  and  the  Umbrella. 

78.  The  Dance  of  the  Fire-flies. 

79.  The  Dog  and  the  Bone. 

80.  The  Saw-mill. 

81.  The  Newsboy. 

82.  Our  Charades. 

83.  The    Dog    with    the    Ribbon 

Collar. 

84.  Our  Sea-serpent. 

85.  The  Broken  Vase. 

86.  Why  the  Crowd  Laughed. 

87.  The   Old   Omnibus. 

88.  A  Search  for  Treasure. 

89.  Our  Assembly  Room. 

90.  A  Rose-garden. 

91.  The  Mud-hole. 

92.  My  Hero. 

93.  A  Great  General. 

94.  Why  I  Admire  Queen  Eliza- 

beth. 

95.  My  Favorite  Picture. 

96.  The  Haunted  House. 

97.  Telling  Ghost  Stories. 

98.  A  New   York   Draft. 

99.  The  Points  of  a  Good  Cow. 

100.  The  Creamery. 

101.  The  Day  I  Churned. 

102.  The  Manual  Training  Class. 

103.  The  Election. 

104.  Sitting  up  All  Night. 

105.  What   I    Thought   of   when 

I  Could  not  Sleep. 

106.  A  Lesson  in  Physiology. 

107.  Peter  the  Hermit. 

108.  The  Noble  Knight. 

109.  A  Feudal  Castle. 

110.  How  a  Knight  Was  Trained. 

111.  A   Banquet    in    King    Arth- 

ur's Court. 

112.  What   I   Think  of   Chivalry. 

113.  A   Moki  Village. 


114.  How  a  Bank-note  is  Made. 

115.  Tennyson's  Poem,   The   'Re- 

venge. 

116.  In  a  Hospital. 

117.  How  We  Celebrated  the  Vic- 

tory. 

118.  The  Philippines. 

119.  What  a  Davy  Lamp  Is. 

120.  Getting  Up  in  the  Morning. 

121.  The  Bonfire. 

122.  The  Scare-crow. 

123.  Examination  Day. 

124.  The  Queer  House. 

125.  Building  Air  Castles. 

126.  How  I  Met  a  Great  Man. 

127.  The  Baby's   Tricks. 

128.  My   Day    of    Misfortunes. 

129.  A  Sewing  Society. 

130.  The  Consumer's  League. 

131.  Three     Ways    of    Obtaining 

Salt. 

132.  My  First  Hour  in  a  Depart 

ment  Store. 

133.  How    I    Study    My   History 

Lesson. 

134.  A  Hay-meadow. 

135.  The  Happy-go-lucky  Girl. 

136.  The   Hoodoo. 

137.  What  I   Think  of   the   Jap- 

anese. 

138.  if    I    Were    Living    in    the 

Year  2000. 

139.  If  I  Owned  a  Newspaper. 

140.  The  Fourth  of  July. 

141.  Our  Most  Treasured  Relic. 

142.  The  Dog  that  Adopted  Me. 

143.  The  Game  of  the  Birds. 

144.  Mv  First  Play. 

145.  The  Time  I  Won  the  Prize. 

146.  The   Truant  Baby. 

147.  Going    Berrying. 

148.  The   Tea-party. 

149.  How     I     Spent     My     First 

Earnings. 

150.  The  Windmill. 

151.  My  (diner  in  the  Garret. 

152.  How  to  Make  Corn-bread. 

153.  A  Girl's  Room. 

154.  A  Boy's  Room. 

155.  The   Church   Choir. 


232 


./  First  Year  English  Book 


156. 

Whal    1   Should   Like  to   En- 

17s. 

vent. 

179. 

157. 

The     Host     Tiling     I     Ever 

180. 

Made. 

1  -1. 

158. 

The  Boy  Across  the  Street. 

|SU. 

159. 

The  Giggling  Girl. 

IV,. 

160. 

The  New  Restaurant. 

161. 

How  to  Make  Pudge. 

1M. 

162. 

The  Peculiar  Pedler. 

1  85. 

163. 

The  Clever  Book-agent. 

186. 

L64. 

When  Grandmother    Was  a 

Is7. 

(liil. 

188. 

165. 

When    Father  Was  a  Boy. 

1-:'. 

166. 

A   Queer   Character. 

190. 

167. 

An    English  Sihool-boy. 

191. 

168. 

A  Duel. 

192. 

169. 

Our  Minister. 

L93. 

170. 

Our  Doctor. 

171. 

My  Besl    Friend. 

L94. 

171'. 

Whom   I  Wish   to    Be   Like. 

195. 

173. 

The  Battle  of  San  Juan. 

l'.iti. 

174. 

When   1  Was  Alone   in    the 

li"7. 

House. 

198. 

175. 

The  Ice-cream  Party. 

199. 

1  76. 

My  Reward. 

200. 

177. 

Borrowing  in  School. 

Our  Library. 

Our  Policeman. 

My  Desk. 

My  Teacher's  Table. 

A  Trip   1   Wish  to  Take. 

My    l'ir-i    Attempt    at   Cook- 
ing. 

Why  I  Failed. 

( iiir  Quarrel. 

Our   Reconciliation. 

An  Adventure  in  the  Rain. 

The  Trick  Horse. 

Iinw  i  Made  a  < iarden. 

Going  Borne  from  School. 

Why  the   Farm   Kan   Down. 

Tom  Sawyer. 

The      Time      I      Missed      the 

Train. 
The    Ways  of  the  Bea\  er. 
My     Favorite    Magazine. 

Hard-tack. 

A  Sacrifice. 

A  Halloween  Party. 

A  Pretty  old  I  .adv. 

Breaking  the  Pony. 


APPENDIX  F 

SUGGESTIONS  TO  TEACHERS 

In  teaching  composition,  more  depends  upon  the  teacher 
than  upon  the  text.  The  first  aim  of  the  teacher  should  be 
to  make  the  child  take  the  work  naturally,  as  if  it  were  a 
part  of  his  pleasurable,  every-day  living.  At  home  he  lives 
actively ;  he  often  carries  to  school  an  unwilling  or  passive 
mind.  At  home  he  takes  part  in  the  social  life  and  talk  of 
the  family ;  he  asks  questions,  finds  out  facts,  makes  things 
with  his  hands.  At  school  he  often  feels  a  sense  of  isolation. 
There  are  certain  things  which  he  must  learn  all  by  himself ; 
he  can  not  ask  help,  for  instance,  from  the  boy  whom  he 
was  helping  in  a  game  in  the  schoolyard  five  minutes  before. 
(See  The  School  and  Society,  by  John  Dewey.) 

If  the  teacher  makes  the  composition  work  a  part  of  the 
daily  living  of  the  pupil,  the  latter  will  reflect  in  writing  his 
interest  in  talk.  He  can  be  shown  that  he  is  making  some- 
thing when  he  constructs  a  composition,  just  as  much  as  if 
he  were  making  a  box.  And  in  time  he  will  feel  a  pleasure 
in  expressing  himself  through  words  as  well  as  through 
deeds.  Further,  composition  will  help  him  to  organize  and 
generalize  his  life.  It  can  largely  do  away  with  the  isola- 
tion he  feels,  can  help  him  socially,  give  him  an  idea  of 
general  responsibility,  an  interest  in  others,  an  impulse  to 
help  others.  This  is  achieved  not  so  much  by  writing  as 
by  criticizing.  The  child  is  led  to  criticize  his  own  and 
his  friends'  composition.  Mary  tells  George  where  she 
thinks  he  could  improve  his  work  by  changing  the  title,  or 
by  adding  something  to  the  end.     All  the  children  work 

233 


234  ■ '  First  Year  English  Honk 

together  at  improving  John's  theme.  John  will  not  feel 
hurt  at  their  suggestions;  he  will  simply  realize  that  he  is 
being  helped.  It  is  only  when  John  is  twenty  and  in  a  col- 
lege class  that  he  resents  criticism. 

The  first  step,  then,  is  for  the  teacher  to  get  the  pupils 
to  take  writing  as  a  matter  of  course.  The  ideal  would  he 
to  spend  from  a  half  t<>  three-quarters  of  an  hour  a  day  <>n 
the  subject.  Compositions  may  he  written  in  class,  or  sub- 
jects may  he  assigned  for  outside  work.  The  former  plan 
trains  the  pupil  to  do  hi-  work  quickly.  Occasionally  the 
subject  should  he  given  him  just  before  he  writes  t"  insure 
spontaneity;  again,  it  should  he  assigned  a  day  m-  two 
in  advance  to  give  him  time  to  think  over  the  matter. 
Sometime-  <>ne  method  should  he  used  chiefly  with  a  class, 
-nmetimes  the  other.  The  teacher  should  he  always  ready 
to  help  by  asking  questions  and  offering  suggestions. 

Ideally  the  pupils  should  write  one  composition  a  day; 
yet  it  is  impossible  for  the  teacher  to  correct  all  the^c.  The 
teacher  should  criticize  in  writing  at  least  one  composition  a 
week  for  each  pupil.  The  paper  on  which  the  composition 
is  written  should  have  a  wide  margin.  <  »n  this  the  teacher 
should  put,  in  red  ink,  the  suggestions  for  rewriting,  mak- 
ing on  the  outside  of  the  composition  a  general  summary  of 
the  criticism.  Then  the  pupil  should  rewrite  in  accordance 
with  these  suggestions.  Too  much  insistence  can  not  be 
put  on  this  matter  of  rewriting,  for  by  it  the  pupil  learns 
more  than  he  does  when  he  writes  the  original  composition. 
But  more  can  be  done  by  oral  criticism  than  by  written 
criticism.  The  teacher  should  read  aloud  every  day,  or 
two  or  three  times  a  week,  some  of  the  best  and  some  of 
the  worst  compositions,  and  lead  the  class  to  criticize  them. 

Criticism  should  never  be  discouraging.  All  that  can  be 
said  in  praise  of  a  composition  should  he  said.  Even  when 
there  is  absolutely  no  good  point  in  it,  the  teacher  should 


Appendix  F  235 

put  his  remarks  in  some  such  way  as  this  :  "You  can  turn  this 
into  a  good  composition  if  you  will  make  the  following  cor- 
rections." Further,  criticism  should  be  constructive.  Never 
tell  a  pupil  he  is  wrong  without  setting  him  right,  or  else 
putting  him  in  the  way  of  finding  out  for  himself  the  rem- 
edy. Moreover,  the  teacher  ought  not  to  try  to  accomplish 
too  much  at  once ;  it  is  enough  to  call  the  child's  attention 
at  first  to  one  or  two  of  his  gravest  faults,  weeding  out  the 
others  as  time  goes  on.  It  is  well,  sometimes,  in  writing 
down  criticism  to  correct  a  fault,  especially  if  it  be  a  bad 
mistake  in  grammar,  without  calling  the  child's  attention  to 
it.  The  great  necessity  is  fluency  and  the  power  to  con- 
struct ;  if  we  find  too  much  fault  with  the  child,  we  prevent 
these  powers  and  destroy  his  interest. 

There  follow  four  specimen  corrected  compositions,  two 
of  which  are  perhaps  worse  than  many  which  most  eighth 
grade  or  first  year  high  school  teachers  receive.  The  first 
is  bad  because  the  child  has  chosen  too  large  a  subject,  and 
a  title  which  is  even  larger  than  the  subject.  The  result  is 
that  he  writes  about  two  or  three  disjoined  topics,  and  errs 
in  unity.     It  should  be  treated  as  follows : 

CORRECTED  COMPOSITIONS 
I 

Y  (yuv     titls     xs    too 
MY  VACATION  large;  you  talk  of  only 

r\  *         1     ,  1  °"<?    day   of  your  va- 

One    day    last    summer    when    our      cation. 

Sunday  school  had  their  picnic  out  in  "School"  is  singu- 

Kankakee  a  party  of  men  and  women      lar   and    "their"    is 

got  into  a  sail  boat  and  went  boat-      v  ma  ' 

■  i-  ^-p,         1      ,  ,,  You   say   too   much 

riding.     They  had  not  got  more  than      about  this\wn.    You 

half  way  out  when  the  boat  upset  and  a>'e  ™°*  writing  about 
,1  1      r  11    •  r-\  him,  but  about  the  ac- 

the  people  fell  in.     One  was  a  man      cident  in  geixeraL  You 

from  Chicago  who  owns  a  red  auto-  should  treat  only  one 
„i  :i~      tlj  li  r         •  1        subject   in   your   com- 

mobue.    He  was  arrested  once  for  rid-      position. 


236  ./  First  Year  English  Book 

ing  too  fast.    (  >nly  a  few  of  the  p 
pic  could  swim,  SO  some  men  went  out 
to  try  to  save  them.     They  managed 
to  save  them  all.    About  an  hour  after 
this  accident  a  man  stepped  on  a  si 

and  killed  it. 

Then  \vc  went  for  ice-cream  and 
lemonade  and  by  mistake  the  man 
gave    me    two    dishes    of    ice-cream. 

When  we  was  coming  home  thi  " ro 

it-Hi-  '  ' ' 

ran  over  a  cow  and  killed  it. 

This  composition  is  interesting,  but  you  try  to  talk  about 
too  much,  fell  of  the  sail-boat  accident  only,  giving  more 
details  about  it;  or  tell  how  you  saw  the  man  kill  the  snake, 
what  it  looked  like,  etc.  Take  one  small  subject  and  treat 
it  fully.  (See  Section  I.)  Put  all  this  in  one  paragraph. 
Rewrite. 

In  the  second  composition  note  that  the  child'-'  attention  is 
not  called  t<>  two  faults  which  are  corrected.  Further,  no 
notice  is  taken  of  his  mistake  in  coherence;  "the  woman"  is 
wrong,  because  there  must  have  been  several  women.  But 
it  is  necessary  to  put  the  emphasis  on  unity  here. 

II 
CLARENCE'S  RIDE 

"Hello,  hello,"  said  Clarence  to  the 

groceryman.    "Give  me  a  ride." 

"Ah,  I  ain't  got  time  to  bother  with  Jrhat  should  you 
,  .  ,     ,,        .  ,     ,  have    said    instead    of 

kids,     said  the  groceryman.  "ainf'f 

Clarence  hollered  so  that  the  gro- 
ceryman stopped  his  wagon  and  got 


Appendix  F 


237 


out  and  helped  him  in.  Then  don't 
you  think  Clarence  felt  good?  He 
.."ver  had  rode  on  a  grocery-wagon 
before.  He  sat  up  as  straight  as  the 
gate-post  before  his  yard.  Whenever 
the  groceryman  got  out  of  the  wagon 
to  give  the  woman  a  parcel,  Clarence 
held  the  lines.  The  groceryman  used 
to  live  in  the  workhouse  when  he  was 
a  little  boy,  and  they  weren't  very 
good  to  him  there.  The  groceryman 
kept  Clarence  till  twelve  o'clock,  and 
then  he  brought  him  back  to  his 
mother. 


This  is  a  bad  mis- 
take. Find  out  the 
correct  form. 


Do  you  need  this? 
Bemember  you  are 
talking  of  Clarence 's 
ride.  This  is  what  you 
might  say  if  you  were 
talking  of  the  grocery 
man  as  a  little  boy. 
Write  on  one  subject 
only. 


This  is  very  pleasant  reading;  you  do  the  dialogue  well. 
But  be  sure  to  write  of  one  subject  only. 

The  third  composition  has  unity,  but  suffers  excessively 
from  the  fault  of  wordiness.  Obviously,  the  writer  has 
about  a  fifth  grade  mind. 


Ill 


THE  CHILDREN  NEXT  DOOR 


A  good  title. 


There  is  a  little  boy  lives  next  door 
to  us  and  then  there  is  another  little 
boy,  and  a  girl.  All  three  of  them 
live  in  the  detached  house  next  door 
to  us.  Their  names  are  Tom  and 
Dick.  Their  father  told  my  father 
that  the  next  boy  he  had  he  would 
name  him   Harrv   for  a  name.     The 


Since  one  and  one 
make  two,  what  should 
you  write  here? 

Bon 't  you  say  some- 
thing here  that  you 
have  already  told  us? 


Do   you   need   "for 
a  name"? 


238 


.  /  First  Year  English  Book 


little  girl  she  is  called  .Mary.  Mary 
is  not  pretty.  I  don't  know  what  to 
call  her  face,  but  it  is  not  pretty.  Tom 
and  Dick  play  with  Mary,  and  when 
they  play  with  Mary  they  are  kind  to 
her.  She  is  good  to  them.  I  go  in 
and  play  with  them  when  my  mother 
lets  me. 


"Shi  "' 

Is       it 

happy    i 

tun  <l .' 


pleasant    or 
r     good     na- 


Put      this      in      !'•  Wt  I 

words. 


This  tells  very  clearly  about  the  children  next  door,  but 
when  you  rezvrite,  you  must  put  your  composition  in  fewei 
zvords. 

The  fourth  composition  is  very  good.  It  shows  that  the 
writer  has  observation  and  imagination.  The  teacher  need 
call  no  attention  in  such  a  theme  to  any  fault  except  the 
shorl  paragraphs,  and  the  mistakes  in  grammar  and  in  spell- 
ing.   The  children  should  be  asked  to  point  out  its  merits. 

IV 
A  STORY  OF  A  LEAD  PENCIL 


When  I  was  a  little  bush  I  was  cut 
down  and  it  hurt  me  dreadfully.  I 
was  separated  from  all  my  brothers 
and  sisters  and  was  tied  in  a  bundle 
and  thrown  in  a  wagon. 

I  thought  I  was  the  only  one,  but 
soon  after  some  more  bundles  was 
thrown  in  on  me,  and  I  did  not  feel 
very  comfortable.  Soon  the  waggon 
carried  me  to  a  pencil  shop. 

Their  I  was  skinned  (I  mean  my 
bark     was     taken     off)     and     T     was 


' '  Bundles ' '    is    plu- 


ral. 


Spelling. 


Spt  lling. 


Appendix  F  239 

smoothed  down  and  cut  into  pieces. 
The  lead  was  put  into  my  stomach. 

Then  I  went  into  the  polishing  room 
and  was  polished  till  I  was  bright  as  a 
diamond.  After  I  had  come  out  of  the 
polishing  room,  I  was  tied  in  a  bundle 
with  eleven  more  just  like  myself  and 
had  a  stamp  stamped  on  me,  "The 
Board  of  Trade."  And  very  soon 
after  this  I  was  sent  on  an  order  to  the 

School,  where  I  was  given  to 

a  boy. 

He  took  out  a  knife  and  chopped  off 
my  head  and  began  to  write  a  com- 
position with  me.  He  worked  so  hard 
I  became  very  small  from  being  cut. 
So  he  threw  me  away.  Now  I  am  old 
and  I  do  not  work  any  more. 

This  is  very  good  and  interesting.  But  you  have  too 
many  paragraphs.  Put  all  this  in  one  paragraph.  Do  not 
make  mistakes  in  grammar. 

Finally,  as  the  text  shows,  too  much  emphasis  can  not 
be  put  on  finding  subjects  in  which  the  child'  is  interested, 
on  developing  his  imagination,  and  on  training  his  senses. 
For  the  latter  purpose  the  teacher  can  get  much  help  from 
Halleck's  Education  of  the  Central  Nervous  System,  pub- 
lished by  Macmillan  &  Co. 

SUGGESTIONS  FOR  SPECIAL  SECTIONS 
PART  I.  GENERAL 

The  value  of  reproduction  work  is  obvious.  In  preparir^, 
for  it  the  teacher  should  give  the  children  every  opportunity 
to  ask  questions  on  the  masterpieces  they  are  going  to  repro- 


240  A  First  Year  English  Hook 

duce,  and  should  especially  lead  them  to  reproduce  the  litera- 
ture in  the  proper  proportion.  Their  work  should  be  on 
the  same  scale  as  the  author's.  Their  tendency  is  to  give 
too  much  space  to  the  beginning,  and  too  little  to  the  mid- 
dle and  to  the  end.  Often,  if  the  exercise  is  given  them  in 
class,  they  plan  so  badly  that  they  do  not  have  time  to  make 
any  end  before  the  time  for  writing  is  up. 

As  to  the  diction, — it  does  not  matter  whether,  after  an 
oral  reading,  they  take  whole  phrases  and  clauses  from  the 
author,  or  whether  they  use  their  own  words  entirely.  In 
the  former  case  they  will  be  using  good  words  ;  in  the  latter, 
they  will  be  exercising  a  certain  amount  of  originality. 

The  reproductions  of  different  children  should  be  read  in 
class  and  should  be  compared  with  the  original  It  is  in- 
structive for  them  to  see  the  different  ways  in  which  the 
same  story  strikes  different  people,  lor  example,  one  child 
in  writing  a  reproduction  of  The  White  Ship  will  leave 
Berold  out  of  account  entirely.  Others  will  see,  without  per- 
haps understanding,  the  irony  in  the  fact  that  this  incon- 
spicuous person  was  saved,  though  all  King  Henry's  power 
could  not  save  his  only  son. 

Good  material  for  reproduction  are  the  King  Arthur  sto- 
ries, the  Robin  Hood  ballads,  some  of  the  border  ballads,  cer- 
tain of  the  Jungle-book  stories,  parts  of  Longfellow's  Tales 
of  a  Wayside  Inn,  certain  of  living's  Tales  of  a  Trai'eler. 
It  is  worth  while  for  the  teacher  to  take  certain  dramatic 
scenes  from  Stevenson's  Kidnapped,  The  Wrecker,  Treas- 
ure Island.  The  Merry  Men,  The  Ebb  Tide,  St.  Ives,  and 
The  Master  of  Ballantrae,  and  have  the  children  reproduce 
these.  Dramatic  scenes  of  this  sort  usually  have  the  struc- 
ture so  strongly  marked  that  it  influences  the  proportion  in 
which  the  children  treat  the  reproductions. 

Here  we  have  an  idea  that  is  opposed  to  the  old-fash- 
ioned idea  that  writing  ought  to  be  spontaneous ;  that  it  is  a 


Appendix  F  241 

gift,  and  so  should  come  rippling  forth  as  spontaneously  as 
the  water  flows.  But  as  a  matter  of  fact,  evidence  goes  to 
show  that  the  best  writers  have  carefully  planned  their 
work.  And  certainly  no  untrained  child  can  hope  to  do 
creditable  work  unless  he  carefully  plans  it.  Here,  again, 
in  order  to  put  life  into  the  work,  the  teacher  should  sug- 
gest subjects  for  plans  which  are  taken  from  the  interests 
of  the  child.  Let  him  write  a  plan  of  the  next  holiday  he 
would  like  to  spend,  etc.  Moreover,  this  work  should  be 
correlated  with  the  child's  other  studies.  Let  him  write  a 
plan  of  his  history  lesson,  or  of  a  physiography  lesson.  Let 
him  tell  how  he  is  going  to  carry  through  his  next  drawing 
lesson.  Let  him  go  over  the  notes  he  took  earlier  in  the  year 
when  he  was  studying  Section  III,  and  rewrite  them  with 
a  definite  plan  in  his  mind.  Sometimes  students  should 
take  notes  and  plans  of  the  same  subject,  and  then  exchange 
papers,  and  then  write.  They  should  keep  jotting  down 
plans  in  their  notebooks  as  these  occur  to  them  and  bring 
them  to  class  for  criticism.  Planning  may  seem  to  be  dry 
work,  but  it  is  far  from  that  if  the  teacher  can  get  the 
class  interested.  To  remedy  faults  in  plans,  to  plot  out  a 
subject  in  the  best  way,  gives  play  to  the  gift  of  ingenuity, 
which  almost  every  child  possesses  in  some  degree. 


PART  1.     SLCTION  IV 

The  comma  fault  is  an  error  to  which  children  are  pecul- 
iarly liable.  Too  often  the  fault  is  not  eradicated  by  the 
time  they  have  reached  college.  It  can  not  be  too  much 
insisted  on  that  statements  which  are  not  grammatically 
connected  should  not  be  written  as  one  sentence.  Take 
this    sentence,    quoted,     with    what     follows,     from    Rad- 


242  A  First  Year  English  Book 

ford's  "Rhetoric"   (Hinds,   Noble  &   Eldridge,   Publishers, 

New  York).  '  'I  knew  it  was  dawn,  the  birds  were  singing, 
the  cattle  were  moving  about  the  yard.'  Now  this  'lumping 
together'  of  three  statements  which  have  no  grammatical 
connection  is  a  violation  of  the  principle  of  unity.  Again, 
this  quasi-sentence  violates  the  principle  of  coherence,  for 
these  three  statements  might  form  one  sentence  if  they  wore 
properly  connected:  ']  knew  it  was  dawn,  for  the  birds 
were  singing-,  ami  the  cattle  were  moving  about  the  yard.' 
This  change  in  the  sentence  has  resulted  in  showing  the 
relations  of  the  different  statements,  in  making  one  stand 
out  as  the  principal  statement,  and  the  other  two  sink  into 
their  true  place  as  subordinate  statements.    Tims  it  appear 

that  the  original  form  violates  the  principle  of  mass  (or 
emphasis).  Moreover,  the  original  sentence  is  not  only  a 
violation  of  the  principles  of  good  writing  ;  it  is  also  grossly 
incorrect.  The  comma  has  as  definite  a  meaning  as  the 
figure  '5'.  It  can  not  be  Used  between  coordinate  state- 
ments which  are  not  grammatically  connected  except  in  cer- 
tain easily  recognizable  cases,  namely,  when  the  statements 
are  short  or  in  a  series.  .  .  .  To  separate  coordinate 
statements  which  are  not  grammatically  connected  is  an 
office  of  the  semicolon.  The  sentence  is  correct  written 
thus:  'I  knew  it  was  dawn;  the  birds  were  singing;  the 
cattle  were  moving  about  the  yard.'" 

PART  I.     SECTION  V 

The  burden  of  developing  the  imagination  of  the  chil- 
dren rests  on  the  teacher  rather  than  on  any  text  ;  for  chil- 
dren can  take  fire  from  a  personality,  as  they  newer  can  from 
a  book.  Moreover,  not  only  words,  but  face,  expression, 
gesture  suggest  much  to  the  child.  The  teacher  should 
keep  constantly  in  mind  that  in  composition  the  child  must 


.  [ppendix  /•'  243 

do  a  great  deal  of  his  thinking'  in  pictures.  Therefore  all 
that  will  stimulate  his  vision  should  he  offered  him.  The 
teacher  should  help  the  children  on  the  exercises  in  the  book 
li\  questions  and  hints.  Above  all,  he  should  give  them 
man)  exercises  of  his  own,  based  partly  on  their  experience. 
I  le  should  work  for  a  skillful  combination  of  what  they  have 
experienced  with  what  they  have  not  experienced.  The 
work  of  this  section  can  be  v-ery  well  correlated  with  the 
literature  and  history  work.  What  did  King  Robert  of 
Sicily  look  like?  Can  you  see  him?  Can  you  see  the  splen- 
did procession?  Can  you  see  the  fool's  cap  and  hells?  What 
kind  of  expressions  did  King  Roberl  wear  at  various  times? 
Can  you  see  Christopher  Columbus  as  he  stood  on  the  deck 
of  his  ship?  Scores  of  such  questions  can  he  asked  with 
profit. 

PART  I.     SECTION  X\  I 

It  is  not  easy  for  most  children  to  learn  to  treat  properly 
the  paragraph  in  dialogue.  The  rules  given  in  the  text  are 
so  clear  that  no  further  comment  need  he  made  about  the 
matter.  In  the  work  in  literature  and  history,  the  teacher 
should  call  the  children's  attention  to  the  inverted  commas 
about  the  speeches.  Nothing  will  fix  the  matter  in  their 
minds   except    Constant   repetition   of   the   point. 

PART   I.     SECTK  >\   XIX 

This  work  on  the  sentence  calls  for  the  closest  attention 
on  the  part  oi  the  teacher.  It  is  necessary  for  him  to  have 
a  feeling  for  the  structure  ni  the  sentence  if  he  is  to  interest 
the  children  in  the  structure  of  it.  The  matter  of  subordina- 
tion can  easily  he  taught  them  in  connection  with  the  rela- 
tive importance  oi  the   different   parts  of  the   thought  that 


244  A  First  Year  English  Book 

goes  into  a  sentence.  Connectives,  too,  have  a  close  relation 
to  the  thinking ;  they  show  explicitly  the  logical  order  of  the 
ideas.  But  it  will  take  more  drill  to  make  the  children  real- 
ize the  necessity  of  uniformity,  and  the  value  of  parallel 
construction.  The  study  should  never  be  carried  so  far  that 
it  becomes  tiresome  to  the  children  ;  moreover,  it  should 
always  be  made  plain  that  they  are  not  aiming  to  imitate 
any  particular  sentence  type,  but  are  trying  to  put  the 
thought  in  the  way  which  shall  be  clearest.  Good  sentences 
so  constructed  should  be  given  them  for  study,  and  the  sub- 
ject matter  must  be  particularly  simple.  It  is  too  much  of 
an  effort  to  take  a  difficult  thought  and  at  the  same  time 
understand  completely  the  form. 

PART  II.     SECTION   I 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  talk  over  with  the  children  subjects  in 
which  they  are  interested.  A  great  deal  of  stimulus  comes 
to  them  from  the  fact  that  they  are  all  working  together. 
Suggestions  from  the  teacher,  and  from  each  other,  will 
show  them  that  they  have  a  wider  range  of  subjects  than 
they  had  supposed,  and  that  it  is  possible  to  generate  inter- 
est in  very  commonplace  matters.  If  the  teacher  has  the 
time,  it  is  worth  while  to  suggest  to  individual  children  the 
subjects  which  will  interest  them  peculiarly. 


PART  II.     SECTION  II 

Suggest  the  narrowing  of  subjects  immediately  related  to 
the  children's  experience  at  home  and  in  the  school.  Have 
them  examine  the  pictures  in  the  schoolroom,  or  in  certain 
literature  books;  ask  them  suggestive  questions  on  these. 
Then  have  them  make  small  and  definite  lists  of  subjects 


Appendix  F  245 

which   they   see  in   these   pictures.      Minute  observation   is 
indispensable. 

PART  II.     SECTION  III 

This  matter  of  note-making  is  one  of  the  most  important 
in  the  subject  of  composition.  It  may  be  made  interesting 
or  lifeless.  The  best  way  of  putting  life  in  such  work  is  to 
get  the  children  interested  in  the  subject  of  composition 
for  its  own  sake.  Competition  is  valuable  here  if  it  is  not 
pushed  too  far.  Let  the  children  observe  and  take  notes  on 
the  same  object ;  then  have  the  notes  read  in  class,  and  by 
criticism  and  questioning  point  out  in  what  cases  the  great- 
est number  of  facts  have  been  observed,  the  best  observation 
shown.  It  is  not  necessary  that  the  class  know  whose  notes 
are  being  read ;  the  teacher  might  read  the  notes,  if  she 
thinks  that  best.  At  the  same  time  it  is  well  to  train  the 
children  to  receive  open  criticism  as  a  matter  of  course. 

Make  use  of  the  various  points  of  local  observation.  It 
is  a  good  plan  to  take  fifteen  minutes  and  have  the  children 
make  notes  from  memory  of  all  that  they  can  see  from  a  cer- 
tain field  or  tree  or  hill.  Then  show  them  all  the  points 
they  have  omitted  in  this  landscape  which  they  have  passed 
scores  of  times. 

Further,  the  child  should  be  stimulated  not  only  to  note 
the  dialogue  of  people,  but  to  note  how  they  look  as  they 
talk,  etc.  This  will  help  to  prepare  him  for  description 
which  comes  later. 

PART  II.     SECT  I  OX  IV 

This  matter  of  teaching  the  children  to  write  about  one 
subject  and  one  only,  or  the  principle  of  unity,  is  one  of  the 
fundamentals  in  the  teaching  of  composition.  The  eager 
child  is  full  of  ideas ;  they  come  pressing  in  on  him  so  thick 


246  A  First  Year  English  Hook 

and  fast  that  he  is  not  able  to  tell  always  that  some  of  them 
are  irrelevant.  They  are  all  interesting  to  him,  because  they 
are  his.  The  quickest  way  of  getting  rid  of  this  fault  is  to 
read  aloud  a  composition  which  sins  against  unity,  and 
ask  the  children,  "Does  the  writer  stick  to  one  subject?" 
They  can  soon  tell  when  he  does  not,  and  where  he  errs,  and 
how  his  work  can  be  remedied.  Many  compositions  should 
be  read  in  this  way,  until  the  children  learn  to  sec  the  fault 
in  the  work  of  themselves  as  well  as  in  that  of  others.  It 
goes  without  saying  that  the  remedy  for  such  a  fault  must 
always  be  pointed  out.  Tin  children  should  never  be  left 
at  a  loss  as  to  how  they  arc  to  rewrite  their  work. 

Moreover,  if  a  child  commits  the  sin  of  unity  in  his  oral 
work,  he  should  be  corrected.  This  error  is  one  that  affects 
the  whole  thinking  of  the  child  and  should  not  be  allowed  to 
appear  in  any  connection  whatever.  Further,  in  his  litera- 
ture and  history  work,  the  teacher  should  call  attention  now 
and  then  to  the  fact  that  the  writer  treats  one  .subject  and 
one  only.  The  children  should  be  asked  to  choose  stories 
from  their  own  reading  in  books  and  newspapers  where  one 
subject  is  treated  throughout. 

PART  II.     SECTIONS  V-VII 

The  fault  that  most  children  commit  in  paragraphing  is 
twofold:  They  either  make  almost  every  single  sentence 
stand  as  a  paragraph,  or  else  they  put  all  they  have  to  say  in 
one  long  paragraph.  It  is  imperative  that  they  should  be 
taught  that  a  subject  naturally  falls  into  topics,  each  of 
which  should  have  a  paragraph.  The  great  difficulty  will  be 
that  they  will  make  very  short  paragraphs  on  each  topic  ; 
then  they  must  be  taught  to  write  more  fully  on  each  topic, 
or  else  join  together  by  some  word-  of  connection  the 
topics  most  closely  related,  and  put  them  in  one  paragraph. 


Appendix  F  247 

If  they  think  over  their  subjects  long  enough,  they  will  have 
sufficient  to  say  on  each  topic ;  for  that  reason  it  is  worth 
while,  frequently,  to  discuss  a  subject  in  class  before  it  is 
written  about.  This  work  on  the  paragraph  will  be  slow  at 
first,  but  after  the  children  have  grasped  the  ideas  in  Sec- 
tions X  and  XII,  the  matter  will  be  much  simpler. 


PART  II.     SECTION  VIII 

The  teacher  will  already  have  had  the  experience  of  cor- 
recting compositions  where  the  paragraphs  are  too  short.  It 
is  comparatively  simple  to  show  a  child  that  he  has  treated 
two  halves  of  a  topic,  as  it  were,  in  two  paragraphs,  when 
they  should  be  joined  together.  The  fault  of  the  undevel- 
oped paragraph,  however,  is  not  the  same  thing.  If  the 
child  is  careful  always  to  plan  his  work,  he  may  not  fall 
into  this  fault  of  the  undeveloped  paragraph ;  that  is,  he  will 
not  simply  state  a  topic  and  then  neglect  to  develop  it.  As 
a  rule,  when  a  child  uses  an  undeveloped  paragraph  he 
usually  does  so  near  or  at  the  end  of  the  composition,  when 
he  is  getting  tired  of  his  work.  The  fault  shows  such  lazy 
thinking  that  it  should  be  promptly  uprooted.  The  attention 
of  the  class  should  be  called  to  the  full  way  in  which  certain 
writers  of  history  develop  their  topics.  They  should  be 
asked  to  bring  to  class  writing  where  the  topics  are  fully 
discussed. 

Exercises  in  reproduction  will  teach  the  children  better 
than  anything  else  could  that  the  number  of  paragraphs  the 
writer  should  use  depends  on  the  fullness  of  treatment.  It  is 
worth  while  in  this  connection  to  compare  in  class  com- 
positions which  different  children  have  written  on  the  same 
subject,  in  order  to  show  how  their  scales  of  treatment  have 
differed. 


248  A  First  Year  English  Book 

PART  IV.     GENERAL 

This  section  is  so  fully  developed  in  the  text  that  there 
is  no  need  to  dwell  on  it  here.  A  child  who  has  been  well 
drilled  on  the  first  three  elements  of  style  will  take  up  the 
subject  of  words  with  great  zest  and  intelligence.  The 
teacher  need  only  emphasize  the  necessity  for  accuracy.  It 
is  well  worth  while  to  give  the  children  drill  in  the  class  in 
defining  wellknown  words.  Their  awkwardness  at  first 
will  be  a  good  object  lesson  to  them. 

PART  V.     GENERAL 

Since  letter  writing  has  such  a  practical  part  in  a  child's 
life,  a  good  deal  of  attention  should  be  paid  to  drill  in  this 
work.  It  is  advisable  to  have  letters  written  in  class  about 
a  given  subject,  and  then  compare  the  results.  Through 
class  discussion  the  children  can  be  led  to  see  that  it  is  neces- 
sary to  put  themselves  in  their  work,  if  it  is  to  be  interest- 
ing. Here  again  the  exercise  must  be  correlated  with  their 
interests. 

Finally,  too  much  can  not  be  said  of  the  necessity  of  tak- 
ing writing  as  a  matter  of  course.  The  children  should  not 
be  allowed  to  look  upon  it  as  a  hard  task  in  which  only  a 
few  can  be  proficient.  Rather,  they  should  take  it  as  a 
pleasant  exercise,  actually  communistic  on  the  side  of  crit- 
icism, in  which  proficiency  is  quite  within  the  reach  of 
any  and  all.  Only  thus  will  the  teacher  receive  the  full 
reward  of  his  labor. 


THE   INDEX 


(The  references  are  to  MSes) 


Addison,  125,  170. 
Advertisements,  224-226. 
Aesop,  16,  39. 
And,  49. 

Arabian  Nights,  164. 
Arnold,  Matthew,  139. 
Arrival,  The,   26. 
As  You  Like  It,  140. 
Autobiography,  37,  38. 

Baldwin,  C.  S.,  171. 

Ballads,  20,  45,  54. 

Before  Adam,  115. 

Bottle  Imp,  The,  157. 

Browning,  Eobert,  186. 

Burns,  Eobert,  192. 

Burroughs,   John,    101,   102,   103, 

109,  133. 
Byron,  115. 

Canterville  Ghost,  The,  17S. 
Chapter  on  Dreams.  A.  113. 
Cinderella,  43. 
Classic  Myths,  161,  164. 
Coleridge,  138. 
Comma  fault,  28-30,  215. 
Conversation    in    narration,    183- 
185. 
Eules  for,  19. 
Coordination,  49. 
Countess  Eve,  The,  175. 
Cross,  39. 
Current   Events.   11(5  117. 


Baudot,  Alphonse.  26,  29, 
David   Copperfield,   177. 


82. 


Describing    from    Memory,    113- 

116. 
Description,    arrangement  of   de- 
tails in,  167-169. 
Character,  169-171. 
Fundamental  Image,  165-169. 
Individualizing     details,      164- 

169. 
Selection  of  details,  165-167. 
Setting,  174-180. 
Details,   arrangement   of   details, 
166-169. 
Individualizing      details,      164- 

169. 
Eeality  by  means  of,  24-28,  30 

32,  161-164. 
Selection  of,   164-166. 
Dialogue    (see   Conversation). 
Dickens,  Charles,  69,  177. 
Domestication   of   Animals,    The, 

32. 
Drawn  Blind,  The,  40. 
Dream  Days,   125. 
Dream  of  John  Ball,  A,  36. 
Dream,  The,  115. 

Ebers,  George,  24,  38,  43. 

Eliot,  George,  79. 

Ewing,  Mrs.,  170,  171,  186. 

Fable,  16,  39. 

Figures  of   Speech,   192-197. 
Flight  of  the  Princess,  The.  206. 
Forsaken  Merman,  The,  139. 
Fox,  John,  162,  185. 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  37. 
Fundamental  Image,  165-169. 


249 


250 


Index 


Gayley,  C.   M.,   161,   L64. 
Ghost,  A,  178. 
Grahame,   Kenneth,   L25. 
( Irammar,  errors  in,  206  210. 

Review   of,    198-210. 
Great  Stone  Pace,  The,  17". 
Grimm,  Norman,   102. 
Guinevere,  Ki7. 


Hardy.   Thomas,    ]  76. 

Hawthorne,  Nathaniel,  1  19,  164, 

170. 
How  ( laedmon  Became  a  Poi 
llnw   Isidore  Became  a  Historian, 

31. 
How    Lincoln    Earned    His    I 

Hollar,   27. 
Bugo,  Victor,   17). 
Hunt,  Leigh,  38. 
Huxley,  Thomas,   132. 


Incident    of    the    French    Camp, 

An,  186. 
[rving,     Washington,     129,     159, 

166,  178. 
[vanhoe.   156. 


Jack  and  the  Bean  Stalk,   13. 
Jackanapes,   17".   171,  186. 


King    Arthur    and     His    Knights, 

on,   33. 
Kipling,  Rudyard,   170,   171,  17S, 

186. 


Lamb,  Charles,  131,  132.  1(54. 
Last  Lesson,  The,  si',   17)!. 
Legend   of   Sleepy    Hollow,    The, 

159,  166. 
Les   Miserables,   174. 
Letters,  Business,  150-154. 

Formal,  147-150. 

To  friends,  142  147. 
Liberal  Education,  A,  132. 


Life  of   Audubon,  50. 

Life  of  (i gc   Eliot,  :'■'.' 

Life  of    Michael    Alio, .|,.,    102. 
Little     Shepherd     of      Kingdom 

ic,  The,   162,   1  - 

Locusts    and    Wild    Honey,    108, 

L09,  I  :■.::. 
London,  .lack.    1 15. 

fellow,   H.  \\.,  67,   112. 
1 s,.  Knit   Sentence,    li 


Maelstrom,   The,    17s. 
Maeterlinck,    Maurice,   32. 
Man  of  Destiny,  The,  61. 
Maupassant,  Guy  de,   178. 
Memories  of   My   Early  Life,  •"•7. 
Memoranda  of  the   War,  89. 

Merry   Men.  The,  178. 
Metaphor,   L92-197. 
Midsummer  Night's  Dream,   Is. 
Mill  on   the    Floss,   The,   7s:. 

Mood,  172  17:;. 

Mollis.    William.    36. 
Muir,  John,   B5. 


Narration, 

Analysis  of,    155- 164. 

1  definite  ami  general,  nn-164. 

Elements  of,   155-157. 

Main   incident,   54-59,   159  161, 

186  L91. 
Preparation  in,  180-1  83. 
Relation   of   incidents   in,    15s- 

161. 
Setting,    L73-180. 
situation  elements,  155-1.57. 
Newman,  John   Henry,    I 
Newspapers,     Writing    for,    227- 

229. 
Notes,    69-71. 


Old  Bridge  at  Florence.  The,  112 
Old  China,   132. 
Oliver  Goldsmith,    129. 
Our  National  Park,  85. 
Outline  (see  plan). 
Outlook,  The,   117. 


Index 


251 


Page,  Thomas  Nelson,   171. 
Paragraph, 

Topic,  81-88,  101-106. 

Development,  106-112. 

In  dialogue,  60-64. 
Parallel  Structure   (see 

sentence). 
Parting  of  Friends,  The,  133. 
Personification,  193. 
Phillips,  Stephen,  164. 
Plan,   89-101. 
Plot   (see  Narration). 
Poe,  Edgar  Allen,  178. 
Praeterita,  39. 
Preparation,  181-183. 
Proportion,    20-24,    32-35,    43-47, 

59-60. 
Punctuation, 

Exercises   in,   215-223. 

Rules  for,  211-215. 


Quiller-Couch,  A.  T.,  40. 


Radford,   Maude   L.,   16,   30,   33. 

2(14. 
Recollections     of     the     Arabian 

Nights,  125. 
Reich,  Emil,  117. 
Repetition  of  Words,  118-119. 
Reproduction,    16-19,    20-23,    24- 

28,    30-31,    33-34,    37-38,   45- 

47,  54-58. 
Return  of  the  Native,  The,  176. 
Review    of    English     Grammar, 

198-210. 
Review  of  Reviews,  The,  117. 
Richard  III.,  115. 
Rip   Van    Winkle,    47,    159,    166, 

178. 
Robin  Hood  and  the  King,   10. 
Romeo  and  Juliet,  48. 
Rossetti,  Dante  Gabriel,  54,  24n. 
Rusk  in,   John,   39. 


Scarlet  Letter,  The,  119. 
Scott,  Sir  Walter,  38,   156. 
Semicolon,  rules   for  29,  215. 


Sentence,  clearness  in,  51-5:!. 

Coordination  in,  49. 

Loose-Knit,  42-43. 

Parallel  structure  in,  130-134. 

Review  of,  36,  39,  53-54. 

Shifts    in    structure    of,    127- 
134. 

Subordination  in,  39-43,  71-72. 
74-75,  100. 

Unity  in,  35-37. 
Setting',    174-180. 
Shakespeare,  48,  115,  140. 
Sharp  Eyes,  101. 
Shaw,  George  Bernard,  61. 
Shorthouse,  J.  II.,   175. 
Sicilian   Spy,   The,   171. 
Signs  and  Seasons,  102,  103. 
Silas  Maimer,  68,  159. 
Simile,  192-197. 
Sir  Patrick  Spens,  20,  157. 
Situation  Elements,   155-157. 
Skeleton  in  Armor,  The,  67. 
Sketch  Book,  The,  166. 
Soldier  of  the  Empire,  A,  171. 
Song  of  Roland,  The,  200. 
Spectator  Papers,  The,  170. 
Spectre  Bridegroom,  The,   178. 
Stevenson,     Robert     Louis,     62, 
113,  138,  143,  157,  162,  160. 
172,  178,  181,  206. 
Story  of  My  Life,   The,  24,   38, 

43. 
Story  of  a  Short  Life,  171,  ISO. 
Story  Writing,  186-192. 
Subject,  choice  of,  65-67. 

Definiteness   of,  67-68. 

Subjects  for  composition,  230- 
232. 
Subordination,    in    the    sentence, 

39-43,   71-72,   74-75. 
Success  Among  Men,  117. 
Suggestions    to    Teachers,    233- 

248. 
Superannuated   Man.   The,  131. 


Tales  from   Shakespeare,    104. 
Tales  of  a  Wavside  Tun,   104. 
Tar  Baby,  The',  43. 
Tarbell,  Ida  M.,  27. 
Tennyson,  Alfred,  125,   107 


252  Index 

Thackeray,  Wm.  M..   156.  Vanity   Fair,  156. 

They,   178.  Virginian,  The,  167,  L68. 

Thomas   the   Rhymer,    15.  Vision  of  Mirza,  The,   \-~>. 

Thompson-Seton,  :'«•"».  Vocabulary,    135-138. 

Topic  Sentence,   10]  112.  Warren,  Maude  Radford,  111. 

Treasure    [aland,    162,   166,    17l', 

n    .  lsl-   ......       ,..,  Wee    Willie    Winkie,    170,    171. 

[Vice   l  old   I  ales,  i<>4.  .g- 

White  Ship,    I'll.-.  :,».  240. 

Ulysses,   ici.  Whitman,   Walt,  69. 

Unity    in    description,    164  169,  Will  o'  the   Mill.  17s. 

17::  179.  Wilde,  178. 

In  the  paragraph,  81  88.  Wistrr.  Owen,   167,   168 

In  the  whole  composition,  7-_'-  Words,   135  ill. 
80.  Repetition  of,    118-1 19. 


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